Viet Nam's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
Agriculture Dominates The Long Run
Viet Nam's nitrous oxide profile is shaped above all by agriculture, contributing roughly four-fifths of national N2O and nearly 800 megatonnes cumulatively. After a slow build through the early 20th century, emissions accelerated from the mid-1930s to mid-1980s and surged again from the late 1980s through the 1990s. Since the turn of the century the rise has continued but more steadily, reaching around 20 megatonnes today-high by historic standards yet growing less sharply than during the 1990s.
Energy’s Late Surge Gains Pace
Energy-related N2O stayed minimal through the post-war era, then climbed gradually from the 1950s to the mid-2000s. A clear shift occurred after the late 2000s, with faster year‑on‑year growth pushing emissions to around 6 megatonnes today and a cumulative total near 100 megatonnes. This recent upswing contrasts with the long preceding period of modest increases.
Other And Waste Edge Up
Both "other" and waste sources remained low for decades, then trended upward from the 1990s. "Other" picked up notably after the mid‑2010s, approaching about 2 megatonnes now and adding around 70 megatonnes over time. Waste has risen more gradually since the mid‑1990s to roughly 1.5 megatonnes today, with a historical total around 60 megatonnes. Industry remains negligible by comparison.
What This Means Now
Most major sources-agriculture, energy, other, and waste-are still rising. The dominant role of agriculture means bending the national N2O trajectory hinges on slowing and reversing growth there, while the recent energy surge also warrants attention. Continued increases in other and waste, though smaller, add momentum and should be kept from accelerating further.
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 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 (1750-2023)
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.