Nitrous Oxide Is Leaking Into the Atmosphere at a Dangerous Pace

The colossal amount of nitrogen used as fertilizer in agriculture is leading to an increase in emissions of nitrous oxide, a lesser-known greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change and the depletion of the ozone layer.

Nitrous oxide emissions are increasing at a rate of about 2% per decade, and in 2018 the gas’s concentration in the atmosphere was about 22% above pre-industrial levels, according to a study published today in Nature, the first to do a thorough accounting of atmospheric nitrous oxide. The paper was five years in the making, and involved 48 research institutions from around the world.

“Now that ...