N2O emissions linked in crops and agriculture
Comparing Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture with All Crops — Crops total (Emissions N2O) across 165 countries, 2023–2050.
- Rank correlation
- +0.91
- Holding size constant
- +0.64
- Countries compared
- 165
- Period
- 2023–2050
What might link these
The strong correlation between these two indicators suggests a relationship between crop emissions and overall agricultural emissions. A careful reader should consider that fertilizer use might be a confounder, as it can contribute to N2O emissions in both crops and broader agricultural activities. The partial correlation controlling for population and GDP reduces but does not eliminate the link, indicating other factors are at play.
Why this is not proof of anything
This is a correlation across countries, not an experiment. It cannot show that either indicator causes the other, and both may simply follow a third thing. This correlation might mislead by implying a direct causal relationship between crop-specific and total agricultural N2O emissions, rather than both being influenced by underlying factors like agricultural practices.
The second figure above repeats the measurement with national population and income held constant. It is the more conservative number: a relationship that largely disappears there was mostly telling you that larger, richer countries have more of most things.
How this was measured
Both indicators were ranked across every country reporting each, and the two rankings compared — ranks rather than raw values, because a handful of very large countries can otherwise manufacture a relationship on their own. The calculation is arithmetic over figures already published on this site; the commentary above is drafted from the two indicator names and the resulting coefficients.