Poland's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
2024 N2O Emissions Profile
Poland's N2O emissions totalled around 26.9 megatonnes CO2e in 2024. Agriculture dominated, at about 16.7 megatonnes CO2e or 62.2%, followed by industry at 4.5 megatonnes CO2e (16.6%) and energy at 4.1 megatonnes CO2e (15.3%). Over the ten years to 2024, agriculture, energy, industry and other sources declined, while waste rose slightly.
Historic Agriculture Emissions
Agricultural emissions began below 1 megatonne CO2e in the 1850s and rose unevenly through the early twentieth century. They climbed rapidly from around 3.5 megatonnes CO2e in 1941 to a peak of roughly 24.3 in 1978, then fell sharply through the mid-1990s. Emissions remained near 17 megatonnes thereafter, ending at around 16.7 in 2024.
Historic Energy Emissions
Energy emissions were close to zero in the 1850s, then grew gradually after the 1940s, reaching around 2.6 megatonnes CO2e by 1997. They jumped to nearly 4.8 in 1998 and peaked at roughly 5.7 in 2000. Emissions subsequently varied at lower levels and ended at around 4.1 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Industry Emissions
Industrial emissions were negligible in the nineteenth century but reached around 1.2 megatonnes CO2e by 1950. They then rose rapidly, peaking at roughly 13.0 megatonnes CO2e in 1975. Emissions declined substantially, reaching a low of about 3.0 in 1992, before partly recovering and ending at around 4.5 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Waste Emissions
Waste emissions started at about 0.05 megatonnes CO2e in the 1850s and increased gradually to around 0.7 by the mid-1970s. They remained broadly stable through 2007, then resumed a slow rise. Waste emissions reached their highest level, around 0.8 megatonnes CO2e, in 2024.
Historic Other Emissions
Other emissions began at roughly 0.8 megatonnes CO2e in the 1850s and rose gradually to a peak of about 1.9 in 1978. They then declined over the following decades, ending at around 0.8 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