IPCC list of greenhouse gases

The radiative forcing (warming influence) of long-lived atmospheric greenhouse gases has accelerated, almost doubling in 40 years.

This is a list of the most influential long-lived, well-mixed greenhouse gases, along with their tropospheric concentrations and direct radiative forcings, as identified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Abundances of these trace gases are regularly measured by atmospheric scientists from samples collected throughout the world. Since the 1980s, their forcing contributions (relative to year 1750) are also estimated with high accuracy using IPCC-recommended expressions derived from radiative transfer models.

This list excludes:

• water vapor which is responsible overall for about half of all atmospheric gas forcing. Water vapor and clouds are more dynamic atmospheric constituents and contribute strong climate change feedback influences.
• other short-lived gases (e.g. carbon monoxide, NOx) and aerosols (e.g. mineral dust, black carbon) that also vary more strongly over location and time. Ozone has warming influences comparable to nitrous oxide and CFCs, and is longer lived and more abundant in the stratosphere than in the troposphere.
• many refrigerants and other halogenated gases that have been mass-produced in smaller quantities. Most are long-lived and well-mixed. Some are also listed in Appendix 8A of the 2013 IPCC Assessment Report. and Annex III of the 2021 IPCC WG1 Report
• oxygen, nitrogen, argon, and other gases that are less influenced by human activity and interact relatively little with Earth's thermal radiation.

Combined Summary from IPCC Assessment Reports (TAR, AR4, AR5, AR6)

Mole fractions: μmol/mol = ppm = parts per million (10⁶); nmol/mol = ppb = parts per billion (10⁹); pmol/mol = ppt = parts per trillion (10¹²).

Species	Lifetime (years)	100-yr GWP	Mole Fraction [ppt - except as noted]					Radiative forcing [W m−2]
			Base 1750	TAR 1998	AR4 2005	AR5 2011	Data 2020	TAR 1998	AR4 2005	AR5 2011	AR6 2019
CO2 [ppm]		1	278	365	379	391		1.46	1.66	1.82	2.16
CH4 [ppb]	12.4	28	700	1,745	1,774	1,801		0.48	0.48	0.48	0.54
N2O [ppb]	121	265	270	314	319	324		0.15	0.16	0.17	0.21
CFC-11	45	4,660	0	268	251	238		0.07	0.063	0.062	0.066
CFC-12	100	10,200	0	533	538	528		0.17	0.17	0.17	0.18
CFC-13	640	13,900	0	4	-	2.7	cfc13	0.001	-	0.0007	0.0009
CFC-113	85	6,490	0	84	79	74		0.03	0.024	0.022	0.021
CFC-114	190	7,710	0	15	-	-	cfc114	0.005	-	-	0.005
CFC-115	1,020	5,860	0	7	-	8.37	cfc115	0.001	-	0.0017	0.0021
HCFC-22	11.9	5,280	0	132	169	213		0.03	0.033	0.0447	0.0528
HCFC-141b	9.2	2,550	0	10	18	21.4		0.001	0.0025	0.0034	0.0039
HCFC-142b	17.2	5,020	0	11	15	21.2		0.002	0.0031	0.0040	0.0043
CH3CCl3	5	160	0	69	19	6.32		0.004	0.0011	0.0004	0.0001
CCl4	26	1,730	0	102	93	85.8		0.01	0.012	0.0146	0.0129
HFC-23	222	12,400	0	14	18	24		0.002	0.0033	0.0043	0.0062
HFC-32	5.2	677	0	-	-	4.92		-	-	0.0005	0.0022
HFC-125	28.2	3,170	0	-	3.7	9.58		-	0.0009	0.0022	0.0069
HFC-134a	13.4	1,300	0	7.5	35	62.7		0.001	0.0055	0.0100	0.018
HFC-143a	47.1	4,800	0	-	-	12.0		-	-	0.0019	0.0040
HFC-152a	1.5	138	0	0.5	3.9	6.4		0.000	0.0004	0.0006	0.0007
CF4 (PFC-14)	50,000	6,630	40	80	74	79		0.003	0.0034	0.0040	0.0051
C2F6 (PFC-116)	10,000	11,100	0	3	2.9	4.16		0.001	0.0008	0.0010	0.0013
SF6	3,200	23,500	0	4.2	5.6	7.28		0.002	0.0029	0.0041	0.0056
SO2F2	36	4,090	0	-	-	1.71		-	-	0.0003	0.0005
NF3	500	16,100	0	-	-	0.9		-	-	0.0002	0.0004

^A The IPCC states that "no single atmospheric lifetime can be given" for CO₂. This is mostly due to the rapid growth and cumulative magnitude of the disturbances to Earth's carbon cycle by the geologic extraction and burning of fossil carbon. As of year 2014, fossil CO₂ emitted as a theoretical 10 to 100 GtC pulse on top of the existing atmospheric concentration was expected to be 50% removed by land vegetation and ocean sinks in less than about a century, as based on the projections of coupled models referenced in the AR5 assessment. A substantial fraction (20-35%) was also projected to remain in the atmosphere for centuries to millennia, where fractional persistence increases with pulse size.
^B Values are relative to year 1750. AR6 reports the effective radiative forcing which includes effects of rapid adjustments in the atmosphere and at the surface.

Gases from IPCC Fourth Assessment Report

The following table has its sources in Chapter 2, p. 141, Table 2.1. of the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, Climate Change 2007 (AR4), Working Group 1 Report, The Physical Science Basis.

Gases from IPCC Third Assessment Report

The following table has its sources in Chapter 6, p. 358, Table 6.1. of the IPCC Third Assessment Report, Climate Change 2001 (TAR), Working Group 1, The Scientific Basis.

Gases relevant to radiative forcing only

Gases relevant to radiative forcing and ozone depletion

See also

• List of refrigerants