N 2O emitted today remains in the atmosphere for more than 100 years, on average. ( Learn why EPA's U.S.

Nitrous Oxide (N 2O) has a GWP 273 times that of CO 2 for a 100-year timescale.

The CH 4 GWP also accounts for some indirect effects, such as the fact that CH 4 is a precursor to ozone, and ozone is itself a GHG. The net effect of the shorter lifetime and higher energy absorption is reflected in the GWP.

But CH 4 also absorbs much more energy than CO 2. CH 4 emitted today lasts about a decade on average, which is much less time than CO 2. Methane (CH 4) is estimated to have a GWP of 27-30 over 100 years.CO 2 remains in the climate system for a very long time: CO 2 emissions cause increases in atmospheric concentrations of CO 2 that will last thousands of years. CO 2, by definition, has a GWP of 1 regardless of the time period used, because it is the gas being used as the reference.GWPs provide a common unit of measure, which allows analysts to add up emissions estimates of different gases (e.g., to compile a national GHG inventory), and allows policymakers to compare emissions reduction opportunities across sectors and gases. The time period usually used for GWPs is 100 years.

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The larger the GWP, the more that a given gas warms the Earth compared to CO 2 over that time period. Specifically, it is a measure of how much energy the emissions of 1 ton of a gas will absorb over a given period of time, relative to the emissions of 1 ton of carbon dioxide (CO 2). The Global Warming Potential (GWP) was developed to allow comparisons of the global warming impacts of different gases. Two key ways in which these gases differ from each other are their ability to absorb energy (their 'radiative efficiency'), and how long they stay in the atmosphere (also known as their 'lifetime'). Different GHGs can have different effects on the Earth's warming. Greenhouse gases (GHGs) warm the Earth by absorbing energy and slowing the rate at which the energy escapes to space they act like a blanket insulating the Earth.