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Global Warming Potential (GWP)

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A measure of the potency of each greenhouse gas. A higher GWP reflects the power of the gas to trap heat in the atmosphere. The GWP is a numerical measure expressed in terms of carbon dioxide, the most abundant greenhouse gas, so carbon dioxide itself has a GWP of 1. The GWPs of all greenhouse gases are:

  • Carbon dioxide (CO2): 1
  • Methane (CH4): 23
  • Nitrous oxide (N2O): 300
  • Hydrofluorocarbons (HFC): 120-12,000
  • Perfluorocarbons (PFC): 5,700-11,900
  • Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6): 22,200.

Methane traps 23 times as much heat as carbon dioxide, while SF6 is 22,200 times more potent.

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