Correct option is B
The correct answer is (b).
Global Warming Potential (GWP) strictly measures the total energy absorbed by one ton of a specific gas relative to one ton of carbon dioxide over a designated timeframe.
Following standard atmospheric science, Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is the baseline (GWP 1), Methane (CH4) is substantially higher, and Nitrous Oxide (N2O) is immensely higher still.
Information Booster
- CO2 is assigned an absolute baseline GWP value of exactly 1.0, serving as the universal reference metric for all other atmospheric trace gases.
- Over a standard 100-year horizon, Methane possesses a GWP roughly 25 to 28 times greater than that of CO2, primarily due to its intense infrared absorption bands.
- Nitrous Oxide is exceptionally potent, wielding a staggering GWP of approximately 265 to 298 times that of CO2 over the same critical 100-year period.
- Despite CO2 possessing the lowest individual GWP, it remains the absolute dominant driver of global warming purely due to its overwhelming sheer volume and vast atmospheric residency time.
- Synthetic fluorinated gases (like CFCs and SF6) possess astronomical GWPs, trapping thousands of times more heat than CO2 per single molecule.
- GWP strictly relies on two critical factors: the gas's inherent efficiency at absorbing outgoing longwave radiation and its specific atmospheric lifetime before chemical degradation.
- Climate mitigation strategies prioritize slashing methane rapidly precisely because of its high GWP combined with a short atmospheric lifespan, yielding immediate planetary cooling benefits.
- Option A: Completely incorrect; it completely reverses the scientifically established relationship by incorrectly placing CO2 ahead of the vastly more potent N2O.
- Option C: Incorrect; while N2O is indeed the highest among these three, it falsely claims CO2 traps more heat molecule-for-molecule than Methane.
- Option D: Incorrect; it falsely places Methane as possessing a greater warming potential than Nitrous Oxide, contradicting fundamental atmospheric chemistry models.
- Understanding precise GWP values is legally mandatory for nations strictly calculating their "Carbon Dioxide Equivalent" (CO2e) emissions for international treaties.
English
10 Questions
20 Marks
12 Mins
