Nitrous oxide - the big baddie of greenhouse gases

According to scientists who have been modelling the impact of nitrous oxide on the ozone layer and on the climate, the gas, which comes from natural and man-made sources, is the most damaging of greenhouse gases.

The agricultural sector is a major producer of nitrous oxide and extensive research is underway in New Zealand under the banner of the Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium to develop ways of reducing N₂O emissions.

Last week it was revealed that New Zealand will also take a leading role in a global research alliance which will be tasked with reducing agricultural emissions.

The authors of the research published today in Science suggest that limiting N₂O emissions will not only speed up recovery of the Earth's ozone layer, but will help efforts to combat climate change. They point out that nitrous oxide is not covered by the Montreal Protocol, which has seen countries band together successfully to cut the use of ozone-depleting substances like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).