Trinidad and Tobago's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
2024 N2O Emissions Profile
In 2024, Trinidad and Tobago's anthropogenic N2O emissions totalled around 1.33 megatonnes CO2e. Industry dominated, at about 1.06 megatonnes CO2e or 80%, and was broadly stable, rising by around 0.0008 megatonnes CO2e per year over the ten years to 2024. Agriculture contributed 0.16 megatonnes CO2e (12.2%) and declined by about 0.003 per year; energy, other and waste were smaller and respectively fell by around 0.0019 and 0.002, while waste rose by 0.0001.
Historic Agriculture Emissions
Agricultural emissions were very small in the nineteenth century, rising from around 0.001 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 to 0.01 by 1937. They then increased overall, reaching a peak of roughly 0.19 megatonnes CO2e in 2018 before declining. In 2024, agricultural emissions were about 0.16 megatonnes CO2e.
Historic Energy Emissions
Energy emissions began near zero in the nineteenth century and remained small through the mid-1940s. They rose from around 0.004 megatonnes CO2e in 1945 to about 0.05 in 2015, peaking at roughly 0.051 in 2014. Emissions then declined to around 0.034 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Industry Emissions
Industrial emissions started at around 0.013 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose substantially over the following century and a half, reaching about 1.04 by 2007. They peaked at roughly 1.16 megatonnes CO2e in 2011, then dipped to 0.81 in 2013 before recovering. Emissions reached around 1.06 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Waste Emissions
Waste emissions were around 0.001 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and gradually increased to about 0.016 by the mid-1980s. They briefly fell to roughly 0.012 around the turn of the 1990s, then resumed a slow rise. Waste emissions reached their peak of around 0.021 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Other Emissions
Other emissions began at around 0.01 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose gradually to about 0.02 by the early 1960s. They increased further, peaking at roughly 0.073 megatonnes CO2e in 2010, before falling back. In 2024, other emissions were around 0.048 megatonnes CO2e.
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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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