• India CSR Awards 2025
  • Guest Posts
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
  • Login
India CSR
  • Home
  • Corporate Social Responsibility
    • Art & Culture
    • CSR Leaders
    • Child Rights
    • Culture
    • Education
    • Gender Equality
    • Around the World
    • Skill Development
    • Safety
    • Covid-19
    • Safe Food For All
  • Sustainability
    • Sustainability Dialogues
    • Sustainability Knowledge Series
    • Plastics
    • Sustainable Development Goals
    • ESG
    • Circular Economy
    • BRSR
  • Corporate Governance
    • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Interviews
  • SDGs
    • No Poverty
    • Zero Hunger
    • Good Health & Well-Being
    • Quality Education
    • Gender Equality
    • Clean Water & Sanitation – SDG 6
    • Affordable & Clean Energy
    • Decent Work & Economic Growth
    • Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure
    • Reduced Inequalities
    • Sustainable Cities & Communities
    • Responsible Consumption & Production
    • Climate Action
    • Life Below Water
    • Life on Land
    • Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions
    • Partnerships for the Goals
  • Articles
  • Events
  • हिंदी
  • More
    • Business
    • Finance
    • Environment
    • Economy
    • Health
    • Around the World
    • Social Sector Leaders
    • Social Entrepreneurship
    • Trending News
      • Important Days
        • Festivals
      • Great People
      • Product Review
      • International
      • Sports
      • Entertainment
    • Case Studies
    • Philanthropy
    • Biography
    • Technology
    • Lifestyle
    • Sports
    • Gaming
    • Knowledge
    • Home Improvement
    • Words Power
    • Chief Ministers
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Corporate Social Responsibility
    • Art & Culture
    • CSR Leaders
    • Child Rights
    • Culture
    • Education
    • Gender Equality
    • Around the World
    • Skill Development
    • Safety
    • Covid-19
    • Safe Food For All
  • Sustainability
    • Sustainability Dialogues
    • Sustainability Knowledge Series
    • Plastics
    • Sustainable Development Goals
    • ESG
    • Circular Economy
    • BRSR
  • Corporate Governance
    • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Interviews
  • SDGs
    • No Poverty
    • Zero Hunger
    • Good Health & Well-Being
    • Quality Education
    • Gender Equality
    • Clean Water & Sanitation – SDG 6
    • Affordable & Clean Energy
    • Decent Work & Economic Growth
    • Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure
    • Reduced Inequalities
    • Sustainable Cities & Communities
    • Responsible Consumption & Production
    • Climate Action
    • Life Below Water
    • Life on Land
    • Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions
    • Partnerships for the Goals
  • Articles
  • Events
  • हिंदी
  • More
    • Business
    • Finance
    • Environment
    • Economy
    • Health
    • Around the World
    • Social Sector Leaders
    • Social Entrepreneurship
    • Trending News
      • Important Days
        • Festivals
      • Great People
      • Product Review
      • International
      • Sports
      • Entertainment
    • Case Studies
    • Philanthropy
    • Biography
    • Technology
    • Lifestyle
    • Sports
    • Gaming
    • Knowledge
    • Home Improvement
    • Words Power
    • Chief Ministers
No Result
View All Result
India CSR
No Result
View All Result
Home More

Often-Overlooked yet Potent Pollutant Nitrous Oxide Poses Ozone and Climate Risks, UN Warns

India CSR by India CSR
in More
Reading Time: 5 mins read
7
VIEWS
Share Share Share Share

Mitigation Measures Could Bring Benefits Worth over $160 Billion Annually Across Diverse Economic Sectors

INDIACSR News Network

WARSAW: Emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O), an often-overlooked yet potent gas, could nearly double by 2050 and thus potentially undermine gains in the ozone layer recovery and exacerbate climate change.

Drawing Down N2O to Protect Climate and the Ozone Layer, a new report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), warns that nitrous oxide is now the most important ozone-depleting emission and the third most potent greenhouse gas released into the atmosphere.

unep logoWhile N2O exists naturally in the atmosphere in trace amounts, human activities have increased its concentrations since the industrial revolution.

The UNEP report, produced in conjunction with scientists and experts from more than 35 organizations, points out that with determination and commitment to act it is possible to draw down nitrous oxide emissions.

Reducing N2O emissions has major cost benefits since emissions are connected to diverse economic sectors from agriculture, chemical manufacturing and electricity production to waste management, transportation and fish production.

Gains from emissions reduction will include increased crop and livestock productivity, poverty alleviation, improved human health and reduced environmental degradation.

An earlier study quoted by the report indicated that an across-the-board improvement in nitrogen use efficiency of 20 per cent would cost around US$12 billion annually, but would save around US$23 billion in annual fertilizer costs alone.

Additional environmental, climate and human benefits could be worth an estimated US$160 billion per annum.

“We need all hands on deck to combat the serious and significant increases in N2O levels in the atmosphere”, said UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner. “UNEP is working on a range of fronts to support the international efforts under the UN Climate Convention, from catalyzing the uptake of renewable energies and energy efficiency to adaptation projects in many parts of the globe.”

“In addition UNEP is working through a myriad of voluntary pathways from accelerating the policy switches towards an inclusive, resource-efficient green economy to  the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to reduce emissions of climate pollutants such as hydroflourocarbons (HFCs), methane and black carbon,” said Mr Steiner.

“Although not as prevalent in the atmosphere as CO2 in terms of mass, N2O – commonly known to many as ‘laughing gas’ – is far from a laughing matter in respect to climate and ozone damage as it has a disproportionate impact on global warming because of its radiative properties and long lifetime in the atmosphere, which is 120 years on average. Action on these emissions offer yet another opportunity to keep the world under a 2 degree C temperature rise,” he added.

Most of the depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer up to now has been due to the infamous Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other halogenated (chlorine- and bromine-containing) chemicals.

However, these chemicals – unlike N2O – are now widely controlled by the Montreal Protocol, an international Treaty designed to protect the ozone layer.

Agriculture is by far the largest source of human-induced N2O emissions, accounting for two-thirds of these emissions. Meanwhile, other important sources of N2O include industry and fossil fuel combustion, biomass burning and wastewater.

The report lists specific, actionable measures that can be taken in each of these areas.

Agricultural Emissions

Emissions can be reduced by boosting the overall nitrogen use efficiency of agriculture. This means improving the ability of crops and livestock to better utilize nitrogen, and minimizing the loss of nitrogen to the environment that occurs during crop cultivation and animal production.

Other options for reducing agricultural emissions of N2O include reducing excessive meat consumption – as the production of animal protein leads to higher N2O emissions than plant protein – and reducing food waste and loss.

As a considerable percentage of food produced is either lost or wasted, avoiding such wastage could reduce the amount of food that needs to be produced and, therefore, the emissions associated with its production. UNEP, through its joint campaign with the FAO, Think.Eat.Save: Reduce Your Foodprint, is working to reduce food waste.

Controlling Emissions from the Industrial Sector

The report suggests that significant gains can be achieved by controlling emissions from just two chemical industries – adipic acid and nitric acid – which account for about 5 per cent of global N2O emissions.

Such reductions can be achieved by installing emissions control equipment in facilities producing such chemicals.

Reducing Emissions from Biomass Burning

In the area of biomass burning, the report notes that N2O emissions from landscape fires can be achieved by reducing the use of fires for forest clearing and implementing prescribed burning to reduce the amount of burnable vegetation in natural fires.

Improving the fuel and combustion efficiency of stoves can reduce emissions from biomass-burning in household stoves.

Wastewater and Aquaculture

Interventions in the collection and treatment of wastewater can reduce N2O emissions to the atmosphere.

These include, in particular, lowering the nitrogen content of discharge wastewater through improved wastewater treatment, reducing wastewater leakage from sewage piping, and recycling nutrients in wastewater as fertilizer.

Emissions from aquaculture can be lowered by boosting overall nitrogen use efficiency, and by implementing fish farming systems that reduce the amount of waste generated, or by treating effluents from fish ponds.

N2O Mitigation Scenarios

The report assesses four different sets of scenarios that correspond to different levels of potential N2O mitigation:

Under the business-as-usual scenarios, with little or no mitigation, levels of N2O could increase on average by 83 per cent between 2005 and 2050;

The moderate mitigation scenarios have emissions that increase but more slowly than business-as-usual. Under these scenarios, levels of N2O could increase on the average by 26 per cent between 2005 and 2050;
Under the concerted mitigation scenarios, N2O emission levels could be 22 per cent lower in 2050 than in 2005.

A reduction in N2O levels, as seen in the concerted mitigation scenarios, will not only help to protect the ozone layer and bring climate benefits, but also have many other co-benefits.

Reducing N2O emissions will help protect the ozone layer

Rising levels of N2O may undermine the gains in ozone layer recovery achieved by drawing down CFC and other ozone depleting substances. Reducing emissions will help avoid the continued depletion of the ozone layer and secure the gains made by the Montreal Protocol.

Emissions to be avoided by the concerted mitigation scenarios between 2013 and 2050 are of comparable magnitude to the 1550 to 2350 kilotonnes of ozone depletion potential of CFCs estimated to be locked up in the stocks of old refrigerators, air conditioners, insulation foams, and other units that have already been manufactured and used, but not yet released to the atmosphere.

Climate Benefits

According to the UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2013, there will be an “emissions gap” of around 8 to 12 gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent (GtCO2eq) in 2020. Drawing down N2O can make a significant contribution to narrowing this gap.

The potential to reduce N2O emissions in 2020 is around 1.8 Tg N2O-N/yr. In units of equivalent CO2 emissions, this is about 0.8 GtCO2eq/yr, which is around 8 per cent of the emissions gap.

Moreover, continued N2O emissions will worsen anthropogenic climate change and the effects will persist for a century or longer even when emissions are reduced in the future.

Overcoming Barriers  

Cost, capacity building, technology transfer, and the lack of know-how are among the barriers to implementing N2O reduction strategies at a global scale.

Possible actions to overcome such barriers involve a combination of regulatory, financial and voluntary approaches.

These include:

Removing subsidies that encourage the overuse or misuse of nitrogen fertilizer and other products, while providing incentives for adopting best management practices that would improve nitrogen use efficiency;

Putting a price tag on nitrogen pollution through appropriate levies, incentives and tradable permits;

Encouraging research and development geared towards the development of innovative techniques to enhance nitrogen use efficiency as well as increased crop and animal productivity in agriculture and other sectors;

Increasing support for good nutrient management practices in crop and livestock operations through education, extension and outreach, especially to farmers in developing countries;

Setting clear targets for N2O emission reductions and for improving nitrogen use efficiency, and putting in place strategies for tracking progress.

The full report can be downloaded at

http://www.unep.org/publications/ebooks/UNEPN2Oreport/ 

IndiaCSR Whatsapp Channel

India CSR offers strategic corporate outreach opportunities to amplify your brand’s CSR, Sustainability, and ESG success stories.

📩 Contact us at: biz@indiacsr.in

Let’s collaborate to amplify your brand’s impact in the CSR and ESG ecosystem.

India CSR

India CSR

India CSR is the largest media on CSR and sustainability offering diverse content across multisectoral issues on business responsibility. It covers Sustainable Development, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Sustainability, and related issues in India. Founded in 2009, the organisation aspires to become a globally admired media that offers valuable information to its readers through responsible reporting.

Related Posts

India’s Veteran journalist Vinod Dua passes away
More

India’s Veteran journalist Vinod Dua passes away

4 years ago
373
India CSR
More

Republic or Democratic?

4 years ago
280
Dr. H. Chaturvedi on Stem Education in India at STEM – CSR Roundtable
Corporate Social Responsibility

How can we conserve water amidst the Coronavirus crisis?

5 years ago
42
Dr. H. Chaturvedi on Stem Education in India at STEM – CSR Roundtable
Corporate Social Responsibility

Toyota Kirloskar Motor temporarily halts production at its Plant in Bidadi, Karnataka

5 years ago
57
Dr. H. Chaturvedi on Stem Education in India at STEM – CSR Roundtable
Corporate Social Responsibility

Govt. seeks public comments on Corporate Social Responsibility Policy (CSR) Amendment Rules, 2020

5 years ago
79
Dr. H. Chaturvedi on Stem Education in India at STEM – CSR Roundtable
Corporate Social Responsibility

Govt to amend CSR rules under companies law, invites public comments

5 years ago
56
Dr. H. Chaturvedi on Stem Education in India at STEM – CSR Roundtable
Corporate Social Responsibility

MCA sanctions Prosecution in 366 cases given in violation of CSR Provisions

5 years ago
87
More

Schindler India launches an additional employee assistance program

5 years ago
31
More

NMDC Committed to fight COVID 19 for a safe and healthy India

5 years ago
12
Load More

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

India CSR Awards India CSR Awards India CSR Awards
ADVERTISEMENT

LATEST NEWS

CSR: Honda India Foundation Wins Bhamashah Award for Excellence in Education in Rajasthan

How two Indian ‘entrepreneurs’ damaged trust in fintech: Transpay case

FedEx Fosters PRIDE and Purpose by Creating Equal Opportunities Across India

Hindustan Zinc’s contributed nearly Rs 90,000 Cr to exchequer in last 5 years, Rs 18,963 Cr in FY25

हिन्दुस्तान जिंक द्वारा पिछले 5 सालों में सरकारी खजाने में 87,616 करोड़, वित्तीय वर्ष 25 में 18,963 करोड़ का योगदान

From Complexity to Clarity: Navigating the Path of Salesforce Experience Cloud Implementation

HZL HZL HZL
ADVERTISEMENT

TOP NEWS

Aditya Vision CSR Spending Report of Rs 1.87 Crore for FY25

ICPPM 2025 Day Two Sparks Dialogue on Climate Action and SDG Localization

CSR: Ajmera Realty Plants 5,000 Trees in Kalina

3rd Presale Stage Ends Days Early as Little Pepe (LILPEPE) Attracts Strong Investor Attention

Vaishali Nigam Sinha to Drive UN GCNI Agenda

CSR: Honda India Foundation Wins Bhamashah Award for Excellence in Education in Rajasthan

Load More

Advertisement

Image Slider
content writing services Guest Post Top 5 Reasons to have Sponsored Posts at India CSR – India’s Largest CSR Media stem learning R2V2 Technologies Private Limited

Interviews

Himanshu Nivsarkar, Senior Executive Vice President and Head of CSR & ESG at Kotak Mahindra Bank
Interviews

Driving Sustainable Impact: An Interview with Himanshu Nivsarkar, Kotak Mahindra Bank

by India CSR
May 22, 2025
137

By Rusen Kumar NEW DELHI (India CSR): Himanshu Nivsarkar, Senior Executive Vice President and Head of CSR & ESG at Kotak...

Read moreDetails
Balamurugan Thevar, CSR Head at Shriram Finance

Empowering Women Drivers: An Interview with Balamurugan Thevar, CSR Head at Shriram Finance

May 20, 2025
210
N E Sridhar, the Chief Sustainability Officer at Titan Company Ltd.

Empowering Rural Craft Entrepreneurs: An Interview with N E Sridhar, Titan Company

May 15, 2025
99
Geetaj Channana, the Head of Corporate Strategy at Vivo India

Empowering Young Innovators Across India: An Interview with Geetaj Channana, the Head of Corporate Strategy at Vivo India

April 25, 2025
53
Load More
Facebook Twitter Youtube LinkedIn Instagram
India CSR Logo

India CSR is the largest tech-led platform for information on CSR and sustainability in India offering diverse content across multisectoral issues. It covers Sustainable Development, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Sustainability, and related issues in India. Founded in 2009, the organisation aspires to become a globally admired media that offers valuable information to its readers through responsible reporting. To enjoy the premium services, we invite you to partner with us.

Follow us on social media:


Dear Valued Reader

India CSR is a free media platform that provides up-to-date information on CSR, Sustainability, ESG, and SDGs. They need reader support to continue delivering honest news. Donations of any amount are appreciated.

Help save India CSR.

Donate Now

donate at indiacsr

  • About India CSR
  • Team
  • India CSR Awards 2025
  • Partnership
  • Guest Posts
  • Services
  • Content Writing Services
  • Business Information
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Donate

Copyright © 2025 - India CSR | All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Corporate Social Responsibility
    • Art & Culture
    • CSR Leaders
    • Child Rights
    • Culture
    • Education
    • Gender Equality
    • Around the World
    • Skill Development
    • Safety
    • Covid-19
    • Safe Food For All
  • Sustainability
    • Sustainability Dialogues
    • Sustainability Knowledge Series
    • Plastics
    • Sustainable Development Goals
    • ESG
    • Circular Economy
    • BRSR
  • Corporate Governance
    • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Interviews
  • SDGs
    • No Poverty
    • Zero Hunger
    • Good Health & Well-Being
    • Quality Education
    • Gender Equality
    • Clean Water & Sanitation – SDG 6
    • Affordable & Clean Energy
    • Decent Work & Economic Growth
    • Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure
    • Reduced Inequalities
    • Sustainable Cities & Communities
    • Responsible Consumption & Production
    • Climate Action
    • Life Below Water
    • Life on Land
    • Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions
    • Partnerships for the Goals
  • Articles
  • Events
  • हिंदी
  • More
    • Business
    • Finance
    • Environment
    • Economy
    • Health
    • Around the World
    • Social Sector Leaders
    • Social Entrepreneurship
    • Trending News
      • Important Days
      • Great People
      • Product Review
      • International
      • Sports
      • Entertainment
    • Case Studies
    • Philanthropy
    • Biography
    • Technology
    • Lifestyle
    • Sports
    • Gaming
    • Knowledge
    • Home Improvement
    • Words Power
    • Chief Ministers

Copyright © 2025 - India CSR | All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.