Global climate is warming up due to human induced change (anthropogenic change), in the earth’s atmosphere due to Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. The substances in question include Carbon dioxide, Methane, Nitrous Oxide & Sulphur Hexafluoride along with Hydro-fluoro-carbons (HFCs).
These substances remain in the upper atmosphere and have a Global Warming Potential and cause rise in average temperatures on the earth. An average rise of 2°C will have disastrous consequences in the long-run.
GLOBAL-WARMING POTENTIAL (GWP)
It is a relative measure of how much heat a greenhouse gas traps in the atmosphere. It compares the amount of heat trapped by a certain mass of the gas in question to the amount of heat trapped by a similar mass of carbon dioxide. GWP is expressed as a factor of carbon dioxide (whose GWP is standardized to 1). For example, the 20 year GWP of methane is 72, means if the same weights of methane and carbon dioxide were introduced into the atmosphere, methane will trap 72 times more heat than the carbon dioxide over the next 20 years.
These substances remain in the upper atmosphere and have a Global Warming Potential and cause rise in average temperatures on the earth. An average rise of 2°C will have disastrous consequences in the long-run.
GLOBAL-WARMING POTENTIAL (GWP)
It is a relative measure of how much heat a greenhouse gas traps in the atmosphere. It compares the amount of heat trapped by a certain mass of the gas in question to the amount of heat trapped by a similar mass of carbon dioxide. GWP is expressed as a factor of carbon dioxide (whose GWP is standardized to 1). For example, the 20 year GWP of methane is 72, means if the same weights of methane and carbon dioxide were introduced into the atmosphere, methane will trap 72 times more heat than the carbon dioxide over the next 20 years.
Please see an interesting article where Australian scientists are changing diets of cows to reduce Methane emissions Victoria (Australia) - Cow diet alteration for Methane reduction
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