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Writer's pictureSustainable Ed.

Global Warming Potential (CO2 Equivalence)

Different types of greenhouse gasses affect global warming differently. Some are more potent than others. This makes calculating the impact of emissions from industries more difficult. To make things simpler to calculate, we convert the global warming potential of these other gases to their “CO2 equivalence.”


To further explain, Global-warming potential, abbreviated as GWP, is a term used to describe the relative potency, molecule for molecule, of a greenhouse gas, taking account of how long it remains active in the atmosphere.

The global-warming potentials (GWPs) currently used are those calculated over 100 years. Carbon dioxide (since it is the most prevalent GHG) is taken as the gas of reference and given a 100-year GWP of 1.


What are some of the other GHGs we’re concerned about?

- Methane - Nitrous Oxide - Fluorinated gases (HFCs, PFCs, NF3, SF6)


Global Warming Potential of these greenhouse gases over a 100 year period?

- Methane: 25 - Nitrous Oxide: 298 - HFC-23: 11,700 - SF6: 23,900


With CO2 having a global warming potential of 1 over a 100 year period. This means that emissions of 1 million metric tons of methane and nitrous oxide respectively is equivalent to emissions of 25 and 298 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide.


Total GHG emissions in 2019: 6,558 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent.





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