Switzerland's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
2024 N2O Emissions Profile
Switzerland's N2O emissions totalled around 2.2 megatonnes CO2e in 2024. Agriculture dominated, at around 1.6 megatonnes CO2e and 71.2% of emissions, declining by about 0.008 megatonnes CO2e per year over the ten years to 2024. Energy contributed 0.27 megatonnes CO2e (12.4%) and waste 0.18 (8.4%); energy declined while waste rose. Industry and other sources were smaller, at 0.09 (4.2%) and 0.08 megatonnes CO2e (3.8%), both falling.
Historic Agriculture Emissions
Agricultural emissions began at around 0.13 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose slowly to 0.42 by the early 1930s. They then climbed sharply to about 1.9 in 1974, peaking at roughly 2.1 in 1980. Emissions subsequently declined overall, reaching around 1.6 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Energy Emissions
Energy emissions started at about 0.02 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose gradually to around 0.15 by 1961. Growth then accelerated, reaching a peak of roughly 0.42 in 1999. Emissions declined after that high point and ended at around 0.27 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Industry Emissions
Industrial emissions were near zero in 1851 and remained low until the late 1940s, when they were around 0.06 megatonnes CO2e. They rose rapidly to roughly 0.44 by 1969 and peaked at about 0.46 in 1974. Emissions then declined overall, ending at around 0.09 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Waste Emissions
Waste emissions began at around 0.01 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and increased gradually through the first half of the twentieth century. They rose from roughly 0.03 in 1940 to about 0.12 by the early 1970s, then continued upward more slowly. They reached their peak, around 0.18 megatonnes CO2e, in 2024.
Historic Other Emissions
Other emissions started at around 0.09 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and increased to about 0.20 by the late 1960s. They rose further to roughly 0.25 around 1990, peaking in 1991. Emissions then declined steadily, reaching around 0.08 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