[Babylonian language confusion about the greenhouse potential of various gases]

For the development efficient abatement strategies on the national and international level for slowing down global climate warming, simple relationships between emissions and warming for the different greenhouse gases would be helpful. Attempts to solve this problem are the 'forcing'-concept and the 'global warming potential'-concept. The physical basis and the approximations as well as their application and limits are shown. Because of non-linearities there is no ideal solution to the problem. The exact warming potential of a gas depends on the concentrations of other gases hence is dependent on the assumed emission scenario. It is therefore never fully objective.