Public policies to mitigate or limit greenhouse gas emissions focusing on methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gasses, but not carbon dioxide.

Difference in global warming potential (GWP)
= the amount of warming as the same amount of CO2 per 100 years

Carbon dioxide: (CO2): GWP = 1

Methane (CH4): GWP = 21

Nitrous oxide (N20): GWP = 300

Fluorinated hydrocarbons (HFC): GWP = 140-11,700

Sources of green house gasses differ

Carbon dioxide: (CO2). Main source: burning of fossil fuels, volcanic eruptions

Methane (CH4): Main sources: decompensation of organic matter like livestock manure and wetlands

Nitrous oxide (N20): Main sources: nitrogen breakdwon by bacteria, fertilizer, industry

Fluorinated hydrocarbons (HFC): Refrigerants, propellants, fire retardants

Residence time in the atmosphere for green houses gases differ

Carbon dioxide: (CO2): 50-200 years

Methane (CH4): 12 years

Nitrous oxide (N20): 120 years

Fluorinated hydrocarbons (HFC): 1-270 years

Allows countries to consider the socioeconomic impact of non-CO2 GHG emissions in a bigger context and to get clser to helping the overall goal of the Paris Agreement to be reached.

non-CO2 GHG emissions in stabilizing climate change and shaping mitigation pathways remains underappreciated.

Puts into perspective the contribution of all green house gasses to global warming.

Reminds people that global warming is not only due to CO2 emissions (et al. Ou, 2022).

Broadens the range of targets for humans to reduce green house gasses (Ou, et al. 2022.)

breadth of monitoring capability may be limited

technical and institutional challenges to tracking and reducingnon-CO2 emissions