Knowra Global warming potential Global warming potential Global warming potential (GWP) compares the climate-warming effect of a pulse of a greenhouse gas with that of an equal mass of carbon dioxide over a specified time horizon.
Radiative efficiency : The change in radiative forcing caused by a unit change in atmospheric concentration of a gas. It captures how effectively each gas traps heat, one factor in its GWP.
Greenhouse gas inventory : A quantified record of greenhouse-gas emissions and removals for a place, organization, or activity. Inventories use GWP factors to aggregate gases into comparable totals.
Global temperature-change potential : A metric comparing the temperature response to emissions of a greenhouse gas with the response to carbon dioxide. Unlike GWP, it estimates temperature change rather than accumulated radiative forcing.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change : A United Nations body that assesses scientific knowledge about climate change, its impacts, and response options. Its assessment reports compile and update widely used GWP estimates.
Methane : A potent, relatively short-lived greenhouse gas emitted by natural processes and human activities. Its high near-term GWP makes methane emissions consequential in short-horizon comparisons.
Atmospheric lifetime : The characteristic time a substance remains in the atmosphere before removal or chemical transformation. A gas’s persistence determines how long its warming contributes to GWP.
Kyoto Protocol : An international treaty that set binding emissions-reduction targets for many developed countries. Its accounting rules used GWP to compare covered greenhouse gases.
Global cost potential : A metric comparing the economic damages caused by emissions of different greenhouse gases. It weights climate effects by estimated damages instead of radiative forcing alone.
Second Assessment Report : The IPCC’s 1995 assessment of climate science, impacts, and policy options. Its GWP values became a basis for greenhouse-gas accounting under the Kyoto Protocol.
Nitrous oxide : A long-lived greenhouse gas produced by natural processes and human activities, including agriculture and industry. Its persistence and strong heat absorption give it a high GWP.
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