The (relative) global warming potential (GWP) is a measure of their relative contribution to the greenhouse effect, i.e. their average warming effect on the Earth’s atmosphere over a certain period of time (usually 100 years).
Which of the greenhouse gases mentioned has the highest GWP according to the Kyoto Protocol?
Caution: The global warming potential is not to be equated with the actual contribution to global warming, as the emission amounts of the various gases differ greatly.
The greenhouse gas with the greatest Global Warming Potential (GWP) is sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). Its GWP over a 100-year period is estimated at about 23,500 to 24,000. This means that SF6 has about 23,500 to 24,000 times the climate impact of carbon dioxide (CO2), but it occurs in much lower concentrations in our atmosphere than CO2.
The greenhouse gas with the greatest Global Warming Potential (GWP) is sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). Its GWP over a 100-year period is estimated at about 23,500 to 24,000. This means that SF6 has about 23,500 to 24,000 times the climate impact of carbon dioxide (CO2), but it occurs in much lower concentrations in our atmosphere than CO2.