At a time when the emissions of greenhouse gases should be reduced in order to reduce the global warmingin 2020 and 2021, in 2020 and 2021 the nitrous oxide (N2O) flowed into the atmosphere at the fastest rates in history, driven primarily by the agricultural activitiessaid the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
He said that research conducted by a team from the Boston College which contributed by researchers from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography of the University of California at San Diego indicates that excess nitrogen contributes to soil, water and air pollution, depletes the ozone layer and aggravates the ozone layer. climate change.
The study revealed that the nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon dioxide or methane, which has increased steadily between 1980 and 2020, when more than 10 million metric tons were released into the atmosphere, mainly through agricultural practices.
According to the report Global Nitrous Oxide Budget 1980-2020published in the magazine Earth System Science Dataemissions, agricultural production accounted for 74% of man-made nitrous oxide emissions in the 2010s, mainly attributed to the use of chemical fertilizers and animal waste on cropland.
"Reducing nitrous oxide emissions is the only solution because, at this time, there are no technologies that can remove nitrous oxide from the atmosphere," said the report's lead author, Hanqin Tian, professor of Global Sustainability at the Schiller Institute at Boston College.
Agricultural N2O emissions reached eight million metric tons in 2020, an increase of 67% from the 4.8 million metric tons released in 1980, according to the study.
Improved agricultural practices that limit the use of nitrogen fertilizers and animal waste can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution.
The research underscored that the unchecked rise of a greenhouse gas with a potential of global warming about 300 times greater than carbon dioxide has dire consequences for the planet.
Jens MühleScripps geoscientist, indicated that there is also positive news, as Europe, the previous largest emitter, has reduced its emissions by about 30% since the 1980s, however, other countries and regions need to improve as their N2O emissions have grown or remained stable.
In 1980, the world's farmers used 60 million metric tons of nitrogen fertilizers commercial. In 2020, the sector used 107 million metric tons. In the same year, animal manure contributed 101 million metric tons, for a combined 2020 use of 208 million metric tons.
The top 10 countries producing nitrous oxide emissions are China, India, the United States, Brazil, Russia, Pakistan, Australia, Indonesia, Turkey and Canada, according to the researchers. Some European countries have been successful in implementing policies and practices to reduce nitrous oxide emissions, according to the report. Emissions in China have slowed since the mid-2010s.
In the United States, agricultural emissions continue to increase, while industrial emissions have decreased slightly, keeping total emissions fairly stable. Natural sources of greenhouse gas emissions nitrous oxide from soil, fresh and salt water have remained stable.
