ABSTRACT
The global warming potential (GWP) of all greenhouse gases is measured against that of CO2. GWP is based on the heat-reflecting properties of the gas and the length of time it remains in the atmosphere. There is water vapour in the atmosphere as well, which is also a greenhouse gas, but it tends not to be included in the list. Carbon dioxide is very effective at trapping heat, and so is said to be a potent greenhouse gas. Since the Industrial Revolution, however, the amount of carbon dioxide produced by industry, engines, heating and power sources has steadily risen, causing the atmosphere to warm up and cause what is known as the enhanced greenhouse effect, giving rise to what we now call global warming. These human-produced greenhouse gas emissions have increased since the start of the Industrial Revolution around 1750. The greenhouse effect was discovered in 1856 by the American scientist Eunice Foote.
