HighGWP

HighGWP refers to greenhouse gases and related substances that have high global warming potential relative to carbon dioxide. Global warming potential is a metric used to compare the climate impact of different gases over a specified time horizon, typically 100 years (GWP100). It expresses the amount of heat a given mass of a substance would trap in the atmosphere compared with the same mass of CO2. Because GWP combines radiative efficiency and atmospheric lifetime, many industrial gases with long lifetimes and strong infrared absorption have high GWP values.

Examples of highGWP substances include sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), and certain perfluorocarbons and chlorofluorocarbons. SF6 has one of the highest GWP100 values, around 23,500, followed by NF3 around 17,000; CF4 and other PFCs also exceed several thousand. These substances are used in electrical switchgear insulation, electronics manufacturing, aluminum production, and specialty solvents. Their long atmospheric lifetimes mean that emissions persist for centuries, contributing to long-term warming.

Policy and regulation have aimed to reduce highGWP emissions, notably through the EU F-gas Regulation and the global Kigali Amendment, which seek to phase down high-GWP refrigerants and industrial gases. Mitigation approaches include switching to low-GWP alternatives (such as certain HFOs, CO2, hydrocarbons), improving containment and recovery, and end-of-life destruction.

Limitations of the GWP metric include dependence on the chosen time horizon and its non-account of indirect effects, regional variability, or interactions with other climate processes. Nevertheless, GWP remains a widely used shorthand for comparing the relative climate impact of gases and guiding policy and industry choices.