Focus on the ‘Forgotten Greenhouse Gas’ Intensifies as All Eyes Are on the U.S. and China to Curb Pollution - Inside Climate Newshttps://insideclimatenews.org/news/26092024/us-and-china-greenhouse-gas-nitrous-oxide-emissions/the United States and China, which together are responsible for approximately 80 percent of the world’s nitrous oxide emissions from the industrial sector. The emissions come primarily from the production of adipic acid, a precursor to high-strength nylon, and nitric acid, used in fertilizer production.
The nitrous oxide emissions from chemical plants in China and the U.S. were the focus of a 2020 investigation by Inside Climate News.
“It’s really up to the U.S. and China right now to get their act together and abate those industrial emissions,” Davidson said.
Producers of adipic acid and nitric acid in Europe and elsewhere have reduced nitrous oxide emissions by 99 percent or more through incineration or chemical breakdown. Installing similar pollution controls at a limited number of chemical plants in China alone could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 200 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year, according to the U.S. deputy special envoy for climate, Rick Duke. The climate impact would be similar to shutting down 50 coal-fired power plants or taking nearly 50 million cars off the road.