AUSTRALIA: Global emissions of nitrous oxide — a potent greenhouse gas — are outpacing expectations and putting climate change goals in peril, a major study published on Wednesday found.

The study, which drew on millions of atmospheric data worldwide, showed a notable increase in nitrous oxide levels associated with human activity.

Researchers are concerned that not enough is being done to control gas emissions, the great majority of which come from agriculture, in light of the findings.

Scientists claim that nitrous oxide can remain in the atmosphere for more than a century and can heat it 300 times more effectively than carbon dioxide.

Based on the knowledge of 58 foreign academics, the Global Nitrous Oxide Budget reported that emissions increased by 40% in the forty years leading up to 2020.

Consequently, the gas’s concentration in the atmosphere increased to 336 parts per billion in 2022, a 25% rise over pre-industrial levels.

The principal author of the paper, Hanqin Tian of Boston College, stated that the increase was significantly higher than earlier estimates made by the IPCC, a UN group of climate experts.
According to Tian, nitrous oxide emissions need to decrease if global warming is to be kept under the 2 degrees Celsius threshold set by the Paris Agreement.

“Reducing nitrous oxide emissions is the only solution since at this point no technologies exist that can remove nitrous oxide from the atmosphere.”

One of the three main greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change caused by humans, together with carbon dioxide and methane, is nitrous oxide, sometimes known as laughing gas.

In addition, it destroys the ozone layer and contaminates the air, water, and soil.

Study: Nitrous Oxide Emissions Soar Worsen

“This emission increase is taking place when the global greenhouse gases should be rapidly declining towards net zero emissions if we have any chances to avoid the worst effects of climate change,” Tian said.

According to the analysis, approximately three-quarters of anthropogenic (or human-related) nitrous oxide in the ten years leading up to 2020 came from agriculture, making it the greatest offender.

Fossil fuels, garbage and wastewater, and burning biomass were further offenders.

According to the study, agricultural emissions of greenhouse gas increased by 67% in the 40 years leading up to 2020. The primary causes of this increase were animal waste and fertilizers containing nitrogen.

According to Pep Canadell, co-leader of the study, nitrous oxide emissions are increasing almost unabatedly, despite worldwide efforts being implemented to reduce other greenhouse gases.

According to Canadell, a chief researcher at Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, “we need to be more aggressive with nitrous oxide — we have no policies anywhere and there are very limited efforts,” she said in an AFP interview.

According to estimates from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 6.4% of greenhouse gas emissions are caused by nitrous oxide.

In the upcoming years, that number is anticipated to increase.

However, the latest analysis concluded that by 2050, anthropogenic nitrous oxide emissions must decrease by roughly 20% if global warming is to stay below 2C.

According to the report, the top emitters of nitrous oxide were China, India, the US, Brazil, Russia, Pakistan, Australia, and Canada. This trend was partly caused by these countries’ quickly expanding populations and rising food-related needs.

By cutting back on the usage of fossil fuels, Europe, which was previously the world’s top producer of nitrous oxide, achieved the largest decline. Agriculture-related emissions are also gradually declining.

South Korea and Japan saw a decrease in emissions as well.

According to Canadell, new regulations limiting emissions of nitrous oxide might not take effect for up to ten years.

However, a lot of farmers were already working to lower their emissions through more sustainable farming methods, improved animal waste management, genetically modifying crops, and more targeted use of nitrogen fertilizers.

“If these emissions were to be reduced by whatever level, it will have a huge impact,” Canadell stated.