Peru's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
2024 N2O Emissions Profile
In 2024, Peru's anthropogenic N2O emissions totalled around 9.5 megatonnes CO2e. Agriculture was by far the largest source, at around 8.0 megatonnes CO2e and 83.8% of emissions, rising by about 0.07 megatonnes CO2e per year over the ten years to 2024. Waste and energy each contributed around 0.6 megatonnes CO2e, while other sources contributed 0.4 and industry 0.03. Waste rose, industry edged up, other sources declined slightly, and energy was broadly flat.
Historic Agriculture Emissions
Agricultural emissions began at around 0.06 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose gradually through the early twentieth century. Growth accelerated sharply from around 1.0 megatonnes CO2e in 1940 to 4.6 in 1961, followed by relative stability until 1990. Emissions then climbed to a peak of roughly 8.0 megatonnes CO2e in 2021, ending at around 8.0 in 2024.
Historic Energy Emissions
Energy emissions started near zero, at around 0.007 megatonnes CO2e in 1851, and rose slowly until the mid- twentieth century. They increased to around 0.2 megatonnes CO2e by 1963, then varied, reaching roughly 0.5 in 1999 before falling back. Emissions rose again to a peak near 0.6 megatonnes CO2e in 2019 and ended at around 0.5 in 2024.
Historic Industry Emissions
Industrial emissions were near zero through the first half of the record, reaching around 0.02 megatonnes CO2e by 1949. They rose rapidly through the following two decades and peaked at roughly 0.3 megatonnes CO2e in 1969. Emissions then declined steadily to around 0.02 by 2005, before edging up to approximately 0.03 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Waste Emissions
Waste emissions began at around 0.01 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and increased gradually for more than a century. They rose from roughly 0.15 megatonnes CO2e in the early 1970s to around 0.3 by 2003, then grew more quickly. Waste emissions reached their record high of around 0.6 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Other Emissions
Other emissions started at around 0.09 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose gradually until the early 1960s. Growth then accelerated, reaching a peak of roughly 1.1 megatonnes CO2e in 2000. They fell sharply to around 0.3 in 2001, then partly recovered and stabilised, ending at approximately 0.4 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
Reach is where funding is
10,000 people are using Climate Change Tracker for free every month. A tiny monthly donation keeps us going!
Cancel anytime. Payments processed by Stripe.com. You can manage, upgrade, cancel, and download receipts in our self service portal on Stripe. Using Stripe you agree to Stripe's Privacy Policy.
More ways to donate
via PayPal
via DonorboxAbout the Data
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