Syrian Arab Republic's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
Agricultural Emissions Dominate
Throughout the decades, the Syrian Arab Republic has seen a significant contribution to its N2O emissions from agriculture. This sector has consistently been the largest source of emissions, peaking in the early 2000s. However, a notable decline occurred in the 2010s, likely influenced by the onset of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, which disrupted agricultural activities. The war's impact is evident in the sharp decrease in agricultural emissions during this period.
Industrial and Energy Sector Growth
Post-World War II industrialization marked a turning point for Syria, with emissions from the industrial sector rising significantly. The 1970s and 1980s saw further increases, coinciding with periods of military conflict and reconstruction, such as the Yom Kippur War and the Hama Massacre. The energy sector also saw growth, particularly in the 1990s and early 2000s, as Syria increased its oil production. However, both sectors experienced a decline in emissions during the 2010s, reflecting the broader economic disruptions caused by ongoing conflict.
Recent Trends and Reconstruction
In recent years, the focus has shifted towards reconstruction efforts post-conflict, as seen in 2023. These activities have contributed to a resurgence in emissions, particularly from the construction sector. The return of displaced populations and the rebuilding of infrastructure have increased energy demand, highlighting the complex interplay between conflict, recovery, and emissions in the Syrian Arab Republic.
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
About the Data
The last available year in all the emission datasets is 2023. N2O emissions come from the PRIMAP-Hist dataset. It is a rich dataset that combines several published sources to create a historical emissions time series for various greenhouse gases.
The Key Insights paragraph was generated using a large language model (LLM) using a structured approach to improve the accuracy. This included separating the context generation from the interpretation and narrative.
Data Sources
PRIMAP-hist The PRIMAP-hist national historical emissions time series (1750-2023)
Update cycle: Every few monthsDelay: Less than 1 yearCredits: Gütschow, Johannes; Busch, Daniel; Pflüger, Mika (2024): The PRIMAP-hist national historical emissions time series (1750-2023) v2.6. Zenodo.