Uganda's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
Agricultural Emissions Dominate
Uganda's N2O emissions have been predominantly driven by agriculture, which has consistently been the largest contributor over the decades. The introduction of cash crops during British colonial rule and the subsequent agricultural expansion have significantly influenced these emissions. Notably, the 2000s saw a sharp increase in agricultural emissions, likely linked to intensified farming practices and the introduction of improved livestock breeds in the 1990s. This trend underscores the critical role of agriculture in Uganda's emission profile.
Energy and Infrastructure Developments
While agriculture remains the primary source, emissions from the energy sector have also shown a notable increase, particularly in recent decades. The construction of major infrastructure projects like the Owen Falls Dam and the Bujagali Hydroelectric Power Station contributed to this rise. These developments, aimed at boosting Uganda's energy supply, have altered land use and increased emissions from energy consumption. The National Development Plan launched in 2010 further accelerated industrial activities, contributing to the upward trend in energy-related emissions.
Impact of Recent Global Events
The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 temporarily reduced Uganda's emissions due to decreased economic activities. This short-term dip highlights the impact of global events on emission trends. However, the overall trajectory remains upward, driven by ongoing development and industrialization efforts. Uganda's commitment to the Paris Agreement in 2015 aims to address these challenges by promoting renewable energy and sustainable practices, potentially mitigating future emissions growth.
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.