Norway's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
2024 N2O Emissions Profile
Norway's N2O emissions totalled around 4.2 megatonnes CO2e in 2024. Agriculture was the largest source, at roughly 2.6 megatonnes CO2e or 61.2%, followed by industry at about 1.0 megatonnes CO2e (23.6%). Energy contributed 0.28 megatonnes CO2e (6.6%), other sources 0.23 (5.4%), and waste 0.13 (3.2%). Over the ten years to 2024, agriculture, energy and industry edged up, while waste and other sources declined.
Historic Agriculture Emissions
Agricultural emissions began at roughly 0.2 megatonnes CO2e in the mid-nineteenth century and rose gradually to around 0.7 by 1941. They then climbed sharply to about 2.0 in 1949, before settling near 2.5 for decades. Emissions peaked at roughly 2.6 megatonnes CO2e in 1996 and ended at around 2.6 in 2024.
Historic Energy Emissions
Energy emissions were low through the nineteenth century and most of the twentieth, rising from around 0.01 megatonnes CO2e in the 1850s to roughly 0.1 by 1969. They increased to about 0.4 in the mid-1990s, peaked near 0.45 in 1999, then declined overall. Emissions ended at around 0.28 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Industry Emissions
Industrial emissions were near zero until the early twentieth century, then rose to around 1.1 megatonnes CO2e by 1952. Growth accelerated through the 1950s and 1960s, with emissions peaking at roughly 6.2 in 1974. They then declined substantially, though with fluctuations, reaching a low near 0.7 in 2009 before ending at around 1.0 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Waste Emissions
Waste emissions started at about 0.005 megatonnes CO2e in the 1850s and increased gradually through the twentieth century, reaching roughly 0.08 around 1980. They were broadly stable during the 1980s, then rose to a peak of around 0.14 in 2013. Waste emissions ended at approximately 0.13 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Other Emissions
Other emissions rose from roughly 0.1 megatonnes CO2e in the 1850s to about 0.2 by 1969. They fluctuated thereafter, peaking near 0.27 in 1979, before returning to around 0.24 in the mid-1980s. Levels remained variable but broadly stable, with a low around 0.21 in 2009, ending at roughly 0.23 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Background
The chart shows a national breakdown by source of the yearly nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from human activities and processes, expressed as weight in megatonnes (Mt). Human-induced emissions are the main driver of the increasing atmospheric nitrous oxide that is warming our planet. The sources of human nitrous oxide emissions are
- Agriculture
- Energy
- Industry
- Waste
- Other
Agriculture
Emissions related to agriculture are mainly from the use of synthetic fertilizers and manure management.
Synthetic fertilizer, used for agricultural processes, contains a lot of nitrogen. That nitrogen in the soil reacts and causes considerable N2O emissions. The use of excess fertilizer, meaning more fertilizer than the plants can use to grow, causes even higher relative emissions. Applying the right amount of fertilizer at the right time can reduce N2O emissions. There are many technical solutions to reduce emissions while keeping, or even increasing, agricultural yields.
When manure is left on the field or otherwise managed in dry processes, it emits considerable amounts of nitrous oxide. Manure can be managed by wet processes, which reduces nitrous oxide emissions but increases methane emissions. Some technical solutions focus on modifying the animal feed to reduce the nitrogen in the manure, thereby reducing nitrous oxide emissions.
Energy, Industry, Waste, and Other
All non-agricultural categories together have much lower emissions than agricultural emissions alone.
N2O emissions related to energy are almost all from the combustion of fossil fuels. For example, the combustion of fossil fuels in power plants, cars, and airplanes not only causes CO2 emissions but also emits nitrous oxide (N2O). Any advances to reducing fossil fuel dependency will thus also reduce nitrous oxide emissions.
Most industry-related emissions are from the chemical industry for producing fertilizer, nylon, and similar products. Technologies are available to reduce emissions in these processes.
Nitrous oxide emissions from waste come from, for example, wastewater treatment and landfills.
Wikipedia: Nitrous oxideIPCC: AR6, 5.16 Anthropogenic nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions
Units and Measures
N2O emissions are expressed in the total weight in megatonnes per year. 1 Megatonne is equal to 1 million tonnes.
Wikipedia: MegatonneWikipedia: Global warming potential
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National N2O emissions data through 2024 is from the PRIMAP-hist dataset, which combines several published sources into a historical emissions time series.
The Key Insights paragraph was created using a large language model (LLM) in combination with our data, historic events, and a structured approach for best accuracy by separating the context generation from the interpretation and narrative.
Data Sources
PRIMAP-hist The PRIMAP-hist national historical emissions time series (1750-2024)
Update cycle: Every few monthsDelay: Less than 1 yearCredits: Gütschow, J.; Busch, D.; Pflüger, M. (2025): The PRIMAP-hist national historical emissions time series v2.7 (1750-2024). zenodo. doi:10.5281/zenodo.17090760