Context:
India is world’s second largest emitter of nitrous oxide.
More about the news
- India is the world’s second largest source of nitrous oxide (N2O), a greenhouse gas that heats up the atmosphere far more than carbon dioxide.
- The top 5 country emitters by volume of anthropogenic N2O emissions in 2020 were China (16.7%), India (10.9%), the United States (5.7%), Brazil (5.3%), and Russia (4.6%).
- The major source of these emissions comes from fertiliser usage
Greenhouse effect
The greenhouse effect is a natural process that warms the Earth’s surface. When the Sun’s energy reaches the Earth, some of it is reflected back to space and the rest is absorbed, warming the planet. The Earth then emits this energy in the form of infrared radiation. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapor, trap some of this infrared radiation and re-radiate it back towards the Earth’s surface, enhancing the warming effect.
Some greenhouse gases
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) – The primary greenhouse gas, responsible for about three-quarters of emissions. It can linger in the atmosphere for thousands of years.
- Methane – released during the production and transportation of coal, natural gas, and oil. Additionally, methane emissions arise from livestock and other agricultural activities, land use practices, and the decomposition of organic waste in municipal solid waste landfills.
- Nitrous oxide – emitted during agricultural, land use, and industrial activities; combustion of fossil fuels and solid waste; as well as during treatment of wastewater.
- Fluorinated gases – ncluding hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, chlorofluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), have a heat-trapping potential thousands of times greater than CO2 and can remain in the atmosphere for hundreds to thousands of years. These gases, which account for about 2 percent of all emissions, are used as refrigerants, solvents, and in manufacturing processes, sometimes also being produced as byproducts.
Source: The Hindu