Global warming potentials for non-CO2 greenhouse gases

Policy responses to mitigate climate change rely on an understanding of the relative importance of the different non-CO2 greenhouse gases. Global warming potentials GWPs represent one way of expressing the relative radiative impacts of a wide range of trace gases. The estimation of direct GWPs requires quantitative estimates of the radiative properties of each trace gas and their atmospheric lifetimes. Indirect GWPs for the tropospheric ozone precursors requires an understanding of their impacts on the build-up of methane and ozone through the changes that they induce in the oxidising capacity of the troposphere.