Glossary
The English version of our glossary is currently under construction and will be regularly updated.
Global warming potential (GWP)
The GWP quantifies the effects of all greenhouse gases on the basis of the effects of CO2, the most relevant greenhouse gas for human beings, which is accordingly assigned a GWP of 1.
An index based on the reflective qualities of greenhouse gases, which provides the ratio of the radiative forcing that would result from the emission of a given unit of mass of the greenhouse gas in today’s atmosphere compared to that produced by the emission of the same amount of carbon dioxide. The GWP represents the combined effect of the gases’ different decay rates in the atmosphere, and their relative impacts regarding the absorption of outbound thermal infrared radiation. The Kyoto Protocol is based on the GWPs of initial emissions in a 100-year timeframe.
The GWP quantifies the effects of all greenhouse gases on the basis of the effects of CO2, the most relevant greenhouse gas for human beings, which is accordingly assigned a GWP of 1. On a molecular basis, methane has 28 times the climate impact of CO2 and therefore has a GWP of 28 CO2e. Depending on the activity, various greenhouse gases can be emitted. Using the GWP, each greenhouse gas can be presented in terms of its CO2 equivalent.