A review of GWP*: a proposed method for estimating the global warming potential (GWP) of short-lived climate pollutants such as methane

The study reviews the literature on Global Warming Potential (GWP) and proposes a new method called GWP* to more accurately assess the climate impact of short-lived pollutants such as methane. The limitations of the traditional GWP method are discussed, which does not adequately distinguish between the effects of short- and long-lived greenhouse gases, potentially leading to errors in the estimation of global warming caused by methane, a key gas in the livestock industry. GWP* is presented as an improvement on GWP, as it takes into account the shorter lifetime of methane in the atmosphere and its dynamic impact on global temperature. The study also explores the implications of adopting GWP* in public policies and climate change mitigation strategies, highlighting its potential to offer a more accurate understanding of how to effectively reduce methane emissions in key sectors such as agriculture.