Greenhouse gas emissions

Stephan Krinke and Yu-Yi Lin

Chapter 86 in Elgar Encyclopedia of Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment, 2026, pp 321-323 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are substances that have the capability to elevate and retain the temperature of the Earth's surface and the troposphere. As the amount of GHG emissions increases, the warming effect intensifies and contributes to climate change. Therefore, the Kyoto Protocol listed seven GHGs—carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3)—as the main regulated GHG emissions and set their corresponding reduction targets. Among these, the major contributors to global GHG emissions are CO2, CH4, and N2O. When looking at global GHG emissions by sector, the electricity and heat sector has the largest share at 32%, with the majority originating from coal-fired power plants. The Global Warming Potential (GWP) was developed to measure the infrared radiation absorption potential of different GHGs relative to CO2. GWP facilitates GHG inventory compilation and assists policymakers in assessing and comparing emissions reduction opportunities across sectors and gas types.

Keywords: Warming effect; Kyoto Protocol; Carbon Dioxide; Methane; Nitrous Oxide; Global Warming Potential (GWP) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035309887
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.elgaronline.com/doi/10.4337/9781035309894.00091 (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:elg:eechap:22215_86

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.e-elgar.com

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Chapters from Edward Elgar Publishing
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Jack Sweeney ().