Gases that absorb and trap heat (i.e. infrared radiation) from the sun in the Earth’s atmosphere (behaving like a greenhouse). Includes the following gases that are covered by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)/Kyoto Protocol: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3). The rising concentration of these gases are the direct cause of climate change.
