Greenhouse gases (GHGs) trap heat from the sun that would otherwise escape into outer space, making the Earth too cold for human life. But increased GHG levels in the atmosphere are causing the Earth’s surface temperature to rise. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has concluded that human activities over the past century have had a significant impact on greenhouse gases levels, and “increases in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations is very likely to have caused most of the increases in global average temperatures since the mid-20th century.” The global warming potential (GWP) of various greenhouse gases varies greatly. Carbon, by far the most widely emitted greenhouse gas, is the baseline to which other gases are compared, so is given the GWP value of 1. Methane has a GWP of 25, nitrous oxide has a GWP of 298, hydroflourocarbons (HFCs) have GWPs that range from 1,430 to 14,800, and sulfur hexafluoride has a GWP of 32,600. Although these gases are emitted in smaller quantities than carbon, it is still very important to consider emissions from these less prevalent GHGs. In some cases, it makes sense to encourage conversions of high GWP gases to lower GWP gases, such as installing methane digesters and methane powered electricity generators, converting methane to carbon dioxide. We offer a range of GHG reduction consulting services that we tailor to your organization’s needs and regulatory requirements.