Global Warming Potentials
 
 
Global Warming Potential referenced to the updated decay response for the Bern carbon cycle model and future CO2 atmospheric concentrations held constant at current levels.

Source: Climate Change 1995, The Science of Climate Change: Summary for Policymakers and Technical Summary of the Working Group I Report, pg. 26.

Species Chemical formula Lifetime (years) Global Warming Potential (Time Horizon)
      20 years 100 years 500 years
CO2 CO2 variable § 1 1 1
Methane * CH4 12±3 56 21 6,5
Nitrous oxide N2O 120 280 310 170
           
HFC-23 CHF3 264 9100 11700 9800
HFC-32 CH2F2 5,6 2100 650 200
HFC-41 CH3F 3,7 490 150 45
HFC-43-10mee C5H2F10 17,1 3000 1300 400
HFC-125 C2HF5 32,6 4600 2800 920
HFC-134 C2H2F4 10,6 2900 1000 310
HFC-134a CH2FCF3 14,6 3400 1300 420
HFC-152a C2H4F2 1,5 460 140 42
HFC-143 C2H3F3 3,8 1000 300 94
HFC-143a C2H3F3 48,3 5000 3800 1400
HFC-227ea C3HF7 36,5 4300 2900 950
HFC-236fa C3H2F6 209 5100 6300 4700
HFC-245ca C3H3F5 6,6 1800 560 170
Sulphur hexafluoride SF6 3200 16300 23900 34900
Perfluoromethance CF4 50000 4400 6500 10000
Perfluoroethane C2F6 10000 6200 9200 14000
Perfluoropropane C3F8 2600 4800 7000 10100
Perfluorobutane C4F10 2600 4800 7000 10100
Perfluorocyclobutane c-C4F8 3200 6000 8700 12700
Perfluoropentane C5F12 4100 5100 7500 11000
Perfluorohexane C6F14 3200 5000 7400 10700

Ozone depleting substances  # e.g., CFCs and HFCs

§ Derived from the Bern carbon cycle model.

* The GWP for methane includes indirect effects of tropospheric ozone production and stratospheric water vapour production, as in IPCC (1994).  The updated adjustment  time for methane is discussed in Section B.2.

#  The Global Warming Potentials for ozone-depleting substances (including all CFCs, HCFCs and halons, whose direct GWPs have been given in previous reports) are a sum of a direct (positive) component and an indirect (negative) component which depends strongly upon the effectiveness of each substance for ozone destruction.  Generally, the halons are likely to have negative net GWPs, while those of the CFCs are likely to be positive over both 20- and 100- year time horizons  (see IPCC WGI (1995), Chapter 2, Table 2.8).