What is a Greenhouse Gas (GHG)?

Greenhouse gases they form a group of gases that contribute to global warming and climate change.

Kyoto protocol , the environmental agreement adopted by many of the parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1997 to limit global warming, currently covers seven greenhouse gases :

• non-fluorinated gases:
  • carbon dioxide (CO ₂ )
  • methane (CH ₄ )
  • nitrous oxide ( _N2O )

• fluorinated gases:
  • hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
  • perfluorocarbons (PFCs)
  • sulfur fluoride (SF ₆ )
  • nitrogen fluoride (NF ₃ )

Their conversion to equivalents carbon dioxide (or CO ₂ ) allows their comparison and determination of their individual and overall contribution to global warming.