Per Capita Nitrous Oxide Emissions by Sector
Data, Graphs, and Maps
Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Earth and Space Sciences, Mathematics
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by Our World in Data
What it is
- This interactive chart displays the per capita nitrous oxide emissions by sector annually since 1990 for any country or globally.
Teaching tips
Positives
- This resource clearly shows trends in per capita nitrous oxide emissions over time.
- The data can be viewed in a variety of ways including both animated and static charts and tables.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students should know how to read a line graph and be familiar with the term fugitive emissions.
- Students may need some background information about nitrous oxide as a greenhouse gas and an unregulated ozone-depleting substance.
Differentiation
- Cross-curricular connections could be made with geography classes by exploring trends in the location of countries and their per capita nitrous oxide emissions.
- Students could further research nitrous oxide using guiding questions such as:
- How potent is nitrous oxide as a greenhouse gas?
- How is nitrous oxide released from fertilizer and waste lagoons?
- How does fertilizer use contribute to eutrophication and affect water ecosystems?
- How important is nitrous oxide as an ozone-damaging gas?
- How potent is nitrous oxide as a greenhouse gas?
From the scientist review
The resource choose a 100-year time scale for the GWP to calculate and normalize these F gases units into a single unit expressed in CO2e This method is appropriate as it considered the residence time of N2O - CO2 emissions per capita from the sectors. In the chart, agriculture appears to emit the highest concentration of N2O globally. The resource is recommended for teaching.
Ready to use it?
Hosted on ourworldindata.org
Want this to fit your class?
Add your location for local examples, questions, and action ideas.
