SF6 ANOTHER GREENHOUSE GAS THAT NOBODY HAS HEARD OF.

A greenhouse gas 24,000 times more powerful than carbon dioxide is being driven up by China’s growing electricity needs, according to a new study. CO2 is the number one greenhouse gas on our radar for good reason. A gas naturally present in the atmosphere but turbocharged by humans’ fossil fuel combustion, it is the single biggest contributor to the climate crisis. But an overload of carbon isn’t the only gas threatening Earth’s climate; international agreements cover a number of other gases including a man-made grouping of fluorinated (F) gases. Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) falls within this potent family: a colourless, odourless gas often used to insulate power lines. Our rapidly electrifying world has caused a marked increase in atmospheric concentrations of SF6 this century. A new international study shows that China is behind the bulk of these emissions in the last decade. Green house gases vary widely in their global warming potential (GWP) – a measure of how much heat energy they absorb per tonne. Sulphur hexafluoride has a GWP of around 24,300 (compared to 1 for CO2) and its emissions are expected to last more than 1,000 years in the atmosphere. With the massive growth in online, AI, WFH and numerous other increases in electrical usage this will all lead to an exponential growth in these really worrying gases.