Key Concepts & Self-Assessment15 Key Facts
Review key Greenhouse Gases, Global Warming & Climate Change exam facts and rate your mastery to track revision.
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#1
Water vapour is the most abundant natural greenhouse gas, while carbon dioxide is the dominant anthropogenic driver of climate forcing.
#2
Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) possesses one of the highest Global Warming Potentials (GWP), exceeding 23,000 times that of CO2 over a 100-year horizon.
#3
The Kyoto Protocol (adopted 1997, entered into force 2005) established legally binding emissions reduction targets for Annex I industrialized nations.
#4
The Paris Agreement (COP21, 2015) established Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) aiming to limit warming well below 2°C above pre-industrial baselines.
#5
The IPCC was established in 1988 jointly by UNEP and the WMO to synthesize objective scientific assessments on climate change.
#6
Methane has a Global Warming Potential 28 times greater than carbon dioxide over a 100-year timescale, emitted primarily from enteric fermentation and flooded rice paddies.
#7
Nitrous oxide possesses a Global Warming Potential nearly 273 times that of carbon dioxide over a 100-year horizon, generated predominantly by synthetic nitrogen fertilizers.
#8
The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (1987) phased out chlorofluorocarbons, subsequently amended by the 2016 Kigali Amendment to phase down hydrofluorocarbons.
#9
India updated its Nationally Determined Contributions in 2022, committing to reduce emissions intensity of its GDP by 45% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels.
#10
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was adopted at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 and entered into international legal force in 1994.
#11
Ocean acidification occurs as excess atmospheric carbon dioxide dissolves into seawater to form carbonic acid, lowering marine pH and depleting carbonate ions needed by coral reefs.
#12
The Keeling Curve, initiated by Charles David Keeling at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii in 1958, provides the longest continuous instrumental record of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
#13
Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations have escalated from pre-industrial baselines of approximately 280 parts per million to over 420 parts per million measured in 2024.
#14
Black carbon, a fine particulate short-lived climate pollutant resulting from incomplete combustion, accelerates glacier retreat in the Himalayas by reducing surface snow albedo.
#15
The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, enacted by the European Union, levies carbon tariffs on imports of carbon-intensive industrial commodities including steel, aluminum, and cement.
Subject Specialist Commentary
Analytical perspective & practical exam advice from the Master10 academic board
Global warming occurs when greenhouse gases in the atmosphere trap outgoing infrared radiation emitted by Earth's surface. While water vapour is the most abundant natural greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide is the primary human-driven contributor through fossil fuel combustion and deforestation. Other potent gases include methane from agriculture, nitrous oxide from synthetic fertilizers, and industrial fluorinated gases like sulphur hexafluoride, which holds an exceptionally high global warming potential.
For UPSC Prelims and SSC science sections, focus on global warming potential and multilateral climate treaties. Beware of statement traps: water vapour traps heat naturally, but human activities mainly increase carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Remember the difference between treaties: the 1997 Kyoto Protocol set binding emission cuts for developed countries, whereas the 2015 Paris Agreement relies on voluntary Nationally Determined Contributions. Note that India has committed to achieving Net Zero carbon emissions by the year 2070.
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