Global Warming Potential
GWP consists of multipliers applied to greenhouse gasses such as methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) to equate the impact they have on the Earth’s temperature with that of carbon dioxide (CO2) over a particular time horizon. It provides a common scale for measuring the climate effects of different gasses.
GHGs vary remarkably in warming potentials, and analysts use CO₂e to collapse them into a single number by equating the global warming potential (GWP) of different GHGs with that of CO₂.
GWP-100, or looking at a GHG’s warming potential over 100 years, is the most commonly used — not the only way to look at warming potential. Some GHGs, like methane, have a much stronger warming effect in the initial years. GWP-20, or over 20 years, better reflects this short-term warming.
To reflect GWP-20, analysts cannot use existing emissions factors. Instead, they must disaggregate GHGs and calculate the GWP values for each applicable GHG using GWP-20. Learn more in foundational best practices.
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