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Air Home > Programs > Emissions Inventory > Greenhouse Gases > Global Warming Potentials

Greenhouse gas emissions contribute to global warming.Greenhouse Gases and Their Global Warming Potential Relative to CO2

The global warming potential is an index that represents the combined effect of the differing times greenhouse gases remain in the atmosphere and their relative effectiveness in absorbing outgoing infrared radiation.  The index approximates the time-integrated warming effect of a unit mass of a given greenhouse gas in today's atmosphere, relative to carbon dioxide.

The chart below list commonly recognized greenhouse gases and their global warming potential.

Source: IPCC, 2001, Climate Change 2001: The Scientific Basis.  Contribution of Working Group I to the Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Houghton, J.T., Y. Ding, D.J. Griggs, M. Noguer, P.J. van der Linden, X. Dai, K. Maskell, and C.A. Johnson(eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdon and New York, NY, USA, pp. 388-389.

OLD Pollutant Code NEW Pollutant Code Pollutant Name(s) Global Warming Potential Relative to CO2 (100 year horizon)
(CF3)2CHOH 920661 1,1,1,3,3,3-Hexafluoro-2-Propanol 190
CH3CCl3 71556 1,1,1-Trichloroethane 140
(CF3)CH2OH 75898 2,2,2-Trifluoro-ethanol 57
CF3CF2CH2OH 422059 2,2,3,3,3-Pentafluoro-1-propanol 40
CHBrF2 1511622 Bromodifluoromethane 470
C3F8 76197 C3F8 (Perfluoropropane) 8600
C4F10 355259 C4F10 (Perfluoro-n-Butane) 8600
C5F12 678262 C5F12 (Perfluoropentane) 8900
C6F14 355420 C6F14 (Perfluorohexane) 9000
CO2 124389 Carbon Dioxide 1
CCl4 56235 Carbon Tetrachloride 1800
CHCl3 67663 Chloroform 30
CH2Br2 74953 Dibromomethane 1
CH2Cl2 75092 Dichloromethane 10
HFC-134 359353 HFC-134, 1,1,2,2-Tetrafluoroethane 1100
HFC-143 430660 HFC-143, 1,1,2-Trifluoroethane 330
HFE-143a 421147 HFE-143a 750
CH4 74828 Methane 23
CH3Br 74839 Methyl Bromide 5
(CF3)2CFOCH3 22052842 Methyl perfluoroisopropyl ether 330
NF3 7783542 Nitrogen Trifluoride; Trifluoramine 10800
N2O 10024972 Nitrous Oxide 296
CFC-11 75694 R-11 (Trichlorofluoromethane) 4600
CFC-113 76131 R-113 (1,1,2-Trichloro-1,2,2-Trifluoroethane) 6000
CFC-114 76142 R-114 (Freon 114, 1,2-Dichlorotetrafluoroethane) 9800
CFC-115 76153 R-115 (Chloropentafluoroethane) 7200
C2F6 76164 R-116 (Perfluoroethane; Hexafluoroethane) 11900
CFC-12 75718 R-12 (Freon 12, Dichlorodifluoromethane) 10600
HCFC-123 306832 R-123 (HCFC-123, Dichlorotrifluoroethane) 120
HCFC-124 2837890 R-124 (HCFC-124, 2-Chloro-1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane) 620
HFC-125 354336 R-125 (HFC-125, Fc-125, Pentafluoroethane) 3400
Halon-1211 353593 R-12B1 (Difluorochlorobromomethane, Halon 1211) 1300
CFC-13 75729 R-13 (Chlorotrifluoromethane) 14000
HFC-134a 811972 R-134a (HFC-134a, 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane) 1300
CBrF3 75638 R-13B1 (Trifluorobromomethane, Halon 1301) 6900
FIC-13I1 2314978 R-13I1 (Trifluoroiodomethane) 1
CF4 75730 R-14 (Carbon Tetrafluoride) 5700
HCFC-141b 1717006 R-141b (HCFC-141b, 1,1-Dichloro-1-fluoroethane) 700
HCFC-142b 75683 R-142b (HCFC-142b, 1-Chloro-1,1-difluoroethane) 2400
HFC-143a 420462 R-143a (HFC-143a, 1,1,1-Trifluoroethane) 4300
HFC-152 624726 R-152 (HFC-152, 1,1-Difluoroethane) 43
HFC-152a 75376 R-152a (HFC-152a, 1,1-Difluoroethane) 120
HFC-161 353366 R-161 (HFC-161, Fluoroethane) 12
HCFC-21 75434 R-21 (Dichlorofluoromethane) 210
HCFC-22 75456 R-22 (Chlorodifluoromethane) 1700
HFC-23 75467 R-23 (HFC-23, Trifluoromethane) 12000
HFC-32 75105 R-32 (HFC-32, Difluoromethane) 550
CH3Cl 74873 R-40 (Methyl Chloride) 16
HFC-41 593533 R-41 (HFC-41, Methyl fluoride) 97
c-C4F8 115253 R-C318 (Freon 318, Octafluorocyclobutane) 10000
HFE-125 3822682 R-E125 (HFE-125, Pentafluorodimethyl ether) 14900
HFE-134 1691174 R-E134 (HFE-134, 1,1,1',1'-Tetrafluorodimethyl ether) 6100
CH3OCH3 115106 R-E170 (Dimethyl ether) 1
SF6 2551624 Sulfur Hexafluoride 22200

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