Klimarapport til paperturn UK - Flipbook - Side 7
Methane (CH4): It enters the atmosphere during the production and transport of fossil fuels. It is also
emitted from livestock and other agricultural practices and the decay of organic waste in municipal
landfills.
Nitrous oxide (N2O): It is emitted during agricultural, land use, and industrial activities, like the combustion of fossil fuels and waste, as well as from wastewater treatment.
Fluorinated gases: These GHG are emitted from different commercial, industrial, and household
applications, especially from cooling processes. They are usually emitted in smaller amounts than the
previously mentioned gases, however, they are much more potent and destructive to the environment.
All GHG remain in the atmosphere for different periods of time, ranging from a few to thousands of
years. Some of these gases are more effective than others at warming the planet and worsening the
greenhouse effect.
Each GHG has a Global Warming Potential (GWP) that is assigned to it. GWP factors were developed to
allow comparisons of the impact of different gases. More specifically, GWP measures how much energy the emissions of 1 ton of a gas will absorb over a certain period (usually 100 years) relative to 1 ton
of CO2 emissions. To effectively calculate the carbon footprint, GWP calculates the equivalents of CO2
(CO2 eq.) that a particular pollutant contributes.
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