nitrous oxide

Air

Reactive nitrogen

Annual nitrogen inputs into the German environment – sectoral percentages of total inputs 1995-2014

Reactive nitrogen, unlike nonreactive molecular nitrogen (N2), is in a great many organic and inorganic substance compounds and of vital importance to all life processes. The availability of reactive nitrogen often limits plant growth, which is why sufficient supply of reactive nitrogen is so important in food production. If excessive amounts of reactive nitrogen are deposited to the environment,... read more

Agriculture

Nitrous oxide and methane

Cows standing on a green meadow. The sky is blue, only some clouds are visible.

Tilling, nitrogen fertilizers and livestock farming are key sources of the greenhouse gases nitrous oxide and methane, as the statistics clearly show: in 2016 59 per cent of all methane emissions and 80 per cent of all nitrous oxide emissions resulted from agricultural activities. Hence abatement measures are urgently needed in this domain. read more

The Umweltbundesamt

For our environment