Qatar's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
2024 N2O Emissions Profile
Qatar's anthropogenic N2O emissions totalled around 0.915 megatonnes CO2e in 2024. Agriculture was the largest source at about 0.256 megatonnes CO2e, or 28%, narrowly ahead of energy at 0.253 megatonnes CO2e (27.7%) and other sources at 0.241 megatonnes CO2e (26.3%). Industry contributed 0.123 megatonnes CO2e (13.4%) and waste 0.042 megatonnes CO2e (4.6%). All sources increased over the ten years to 2024, led by agriculture, rising by about 0.011 megatonnes CO2e per year.
Historic Agriculture Emissions
Agricultural emissions were negligible in the 1850s and rose slowly to around 0.011 megatonnes CO2e by 1970. They increased unevenly thereafter, reaching roughly 0.096 megatonnes CO2e in 1995 before easing. Growth accelerated after 2010, peaking at about 0.287 megatonnes CO2e in 2020 and ending at 0.256 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Energy Emissions
Energy emissions rose from around 0.006 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 to about 0.081 in 1968, reaching an earlier high of roughly 0.084 in 1973. They then declined, falling to around 0.029 by 1992. Emissions rose strongly thereafter, reaching their record high of approximately 0.253 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Industry Emissions
Industry emissions began near zero in the 1850s and remained very small until the mid-1960s, when they were around 0.002 megatonnes CO2e. They rose gradually to roughly 0.025 by 2001, then increased more substantially. Industry emissions reached a record high of about 0.123 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Waste Emissions
Waste emissions were near zero from the 1850s through the mid-1960s. They then rose gradually, reaching around 0.011 megatonnes CO2e by 2005. Growth continued after that point, though from a low base, and emissions reached their highest level of approximately 0.042 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Other Emissions
Other emissions started at around 0.008 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and increased gradually to roughly 0.018 by 1969. Growth continued through the late twentieth century, reaching about 0.067 in 1999, before accelerating. Other emissions peaked at approximately 0.241 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
Our planet needs more friends
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