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HFCs: a critical link in protecting climate and the ozone layer. A UNEP synthesis report.

Author(s) : ONU Environnement (ex-PNUE)

Type of monograph: Report

Summary

The focus of this report is the opportunity for action on the latest replacement chemicals known as hydroflurocarbons (HFCs). HFCs are excellent substitutes for use in products such as refrigerators and industrial air conditioners, but they are extremely powerful global warming gases. This report says that the current contribution to climate forcing by HFCs is less than one percent. However, it warns that HFCs are rapidly increasing in the atmosphere as they are adopted as ozone-friendly alternatives. Emissions of HFCs are growing at a rate of 8% per year, and by 2050, without action, they could rise so high that they almost cancel the tremendous climate benefits won earlier by the phase-out of CFCs and other ozone-depleting substances.
Extract from the table of contents: Montreal Protocol and ozone layer protection; climate benefits of the Montreal Protocol; HFCs and climate change; alternatives to high-GWP HFCs (low-GWP alternatives, already in commercial use, offer the potential to minimize the influence of high-GWP HFCs on climate; case study: alternatives adopted by manufacturers of household refrigeration and small air-conditioning units; case study: technical developments in vehicle air-conditioning systems; there are barriers to the adoption of low-GWP alternatives but also many ways to overcome them).

Details

  • Original title: HFCs: a critical link in protecting climate and the ozone layer. A UNEP synthesis report.
  • Record ID : 30002470
  • Languages: English
  • Subject: Regulation, Environment, General information, HFCs alternatives
  • Publication: UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) - Kenya/Kenya
  • Publication date: 2011/11
  • ISBN: 9789280732283

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