WASHINGTON, Mar 6: Scientists claim to have developed a new tool to accurately measure nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas emitted during agricultural production.
An international team, led by Queensland University of Technology, says that the new state-of-the-art statistical approach would greatly improve estimates of global nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions by up to 65 per cent.
Prof Richard Conant, who led the team, said: “Nitrous oxide contributes substantially to total global greenhouse gas emissions and in some countries it’s a big part of total emissions.
“We’re providing a tool that has significantly improved the accuracy of measuring N2O. Our hope is that this information will enable developing countries that lack detailed measurements to keep better track of N2O emissions.”
Prof Conant said agriculture was responsible for about 20 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions globally, mostly from nitrous oxide from fertilisers, and methane generated by livestock. “CO2 still has the biggest effect on climate change. Nitrous oxide is more potent but there isn’t as much of it,” he said in a university release.
Prof Conant said the researchers, who analysed the proportion of fertiliser lost as nitrous oxide, used ground- breaking data on N2O emissions and found that the United States, Europe, East Asia and Japan accounted for nearly 50 per cent of global N2O emissions while Africa and Russia contributed 13 per cent of global N2O emissions.
The scientists said their research would help developing countries become more efficient in agriculture and increase food security, the ‘Global Change Biology’ journal reported.
“In agriculture, producers generally have been trying to increase yields and productivity, but we haven’t thought as much about externalities in terms of nitrogen pollution and greenhouse gases,” Prof Conant said. (PTI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel