Which greenhouse gases should be controlled in a domestic climate change program?
• In the effort to understand and address global climate change, most analysis has focused on rapidly rising emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and options for reducing them. Indeed, CO2, a byproduct of fossil fuel combustion, is the principal greenhouse gas contributing to global warming. However, other greenhouse gases including methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and what have been called the “synthetic gases,” hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), also are important contributors to climate change. From both an environmental and an economic standpoint, effective climate change strategies should address both CO2 and these other greenhouse gases.
