The global Nitrous oxide budget has been released
What’s 300 times more powerful than carbon dioxide at warming our planet and remains in the atmosphere for more than 100 years? Nitrous oxide or N₂O.
The global N₂O budget has been released with contributions by our project Transition to net zero. They found that human activities alone have increased N₂O emissions by 40% over the past 40 years, with agriculture contributing approximately 74% to total anthropogenic N₂O emissions. Current trends show N₂O concentrations are increasing faster than the most pessimistic illustrative pathways of future trajectories used by the IPCC, contributing, along with other greenhouse gasses, to global mean temperatures well above 3°C.
Addressing the challenge of reducing N₂O emissions requires a combination of policy interventions, technological innovation and individual actions.
What can individuals do? Reducing the frequency and portion sizes of meat and dairy consumption can be healthy for both you and the environment. Eco-friendly practices like composting food wastes and reducing fertilizer use on lawns also help.
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