Zimbabwe's Sources of N2O Emissions
Key Insights
2024 N2O Emissions Profile
Zimbabwe's anthropogenic N2O emissions totalled around 5.3 megatonnes CO2e in 2024. Agriculture dominated, at around 4.3 megatonnes CO2e or 81.3% of the national total, declining by about 0.0048 megatonnes CO2e per year over the ten years to 2024. Energy contributed 0.44 megatonnes CO2e (8.3%) and waste 0.18 (3.4%), both rising slightly. Other sources supplied 0.26 (5.0%) and industry 0.11 (2.0%), both declining.
Historic Agriculture Emissions
Agricultural emissions rose from about 0.1 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 to around 0.7 in the early 1930s, then climbed rapidly to roughly 4.2 by 1975. They reached a record peak of around 5.3 megatonnes CO2e in 2011, before fluctuating downward, including a low near 3.6 in 2020. They ended at around 4.3 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Energy Emissions
Energy emissions began at around 0.008 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and rose gradually for much of the following century, reaching about 0.38 by 1999. After a brief decline in the early 2000s, emissions resumed a modest rise and peaked at roughly 0.45 megatonnes CO2e in 2019. They ended at around 0.44 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Industry Emissions
Industrial emissions were near zero until the late 1920s, then increased to around 0.06 megatonnes CO2e by the mid-1960s and roughly 0.24 by the mid-1990s. They remained close to that level until peaking at about 0.26 in 2010, then declined markedly. Emissions ended at around 0.11 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Waste Emissions
Waste emissions started at around 0.004 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 and increased slowly to about 0.02 by the early 1940s. Growth continued through the following decades, reaching roughly 0.10 in 2002, then accelerated modestly. Waste emissions reached their record high of around 0.18 megatonnes CO2e in 2024.
Historic Other Emissions
Other emissions rose from around 0.05 megatonnes CO2e in 1851 to about 0.11 by the late 1960s, then increased to roughly 0.29 in 1990. They subsequently varied at a broadly similar level, falling as low as about 0.22 in 1997 and peaking near 0.30 in 2001. They ended at around 0.26 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
Our planet needs more friends
10,000 people are using Climate Change Tracker for free every month. A tiny monthly donation keeps us going!
Cancel anytime. Payments processed by Stripe.com. You can manage, upgrade, cancel, and download receipts in our self service portal on Stripe. Using Stripe you agree to Stripe's Privacy Policy.
More ways to donate
via PayPal
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