Item talk:Q218
Rationale
Human activities - particularly the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes - have significantly increased Greenhouse gases (GHG) concentrations in Earth's atmosphere. This is driving an enhanced greenhouse effect, and climate change. Scientific assessments confirm that these emissions are the dominant cause of the observed rise in global surface temperature since pre-industrial times, contributing to more frequent extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and biodiversity loss [1].
Addressing greenhouse gas emissions is therefore fundamental to mitigating climate change. GHGs are the primary focus of mitigation policies and reduction targets, and also serve as a commodity in regulatory instruments such as carbon markets. Mapping GHGs is vital for effective climate agendas, enabling governments, businesses, and communities to measure emissions, set emissions reduction targets and track progress.
Concept methodology
Qualitative desk-based research and a chemical classification approach was used to develop this concept. The structure and elements of this concept were informed by multiple sources [2] [3] [4] and related GHG regulations, but in particular the Greenhouse Gas Protocol's IPCC Global Warming Potential Values document. This “provides 100-year time horizon global warming potential (GWP) values from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)” by consolidating data from three IPCC Assessment Reports – AR4-AR6 - and was used to confirm the relevance and relationships of all GHGs included in this concept [5].
To enhance accuracy and improve results, certain terms that are not typically considered synonyms in a climate policy context were removed or adapted. It is important to acknowledge that climate change is a rapidly evolving field, both in scientific understanding and policy development. As a result, this concept may be subject to future refinements.
References & acknowledgements
[1] IPCC. (2023). Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Retrieved from https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/syr/
[2] IPCC. (2022). Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Retrieved from https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg3/
[3] European Environment Agency. (2024). EPER Chemicals Glossary. Retrieved from https://www.eea.europa.eu/help/glossary/eper-chemicals-glossary
[4] Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. (2024). Main Greenhouse Gases. Retrieved from https://www.c2es.org/content/main-greenhouse-gases/
[5] Greenhouse Gas Protocol. (2024). IPCC Global Warming Potential Values Retrieved from https://ghgprotocol.org/sites/default/files/2024-08/Global-Warming-Potential-Values%20(August%202024).pdf