ShareCanada and Mexico HFC policy strategy
During ATMOsphere America in Chicago in June 2016, Canadian and Mexican government representatives presented their HFC phase-down strategies.
During ATMOsphere America in Chicago in June 2016, René Desjardins from Environment Canada said Canada is in the process of devising new regulatory measures to reduce consumption of HFCs through a combination of phase-down and product-specific controls.
Phase-down provisions would apply to companies importing bulk HFCs. Four sectors are targeted: refrigeration and air conditioning, mobile air conditioning, foam products, and aerosol products.
According to the proposed regulation, product-specific controls would prohibit the import and manufacture of products or systems that contain HFCs.
The proposed new regulation would ban the use of HFCs in certain refrigeration and air conditioning sectors from a specific year, similar to the approach taken by the EU's F-Gas Regulation and California's proposed strategy.
However, it sets rather high GWP limits for most applications. For example, in centralised refrigeration and stand-alone low temperature refrigeration, it tables a limit of 1,500 by 2020.
Stakeholders still have the opportunity to comment on Canada's proposed regulation, said Desjardins.
Augustin Sanchez from Mexico’s Ozone Protection Unit presented the country’s HFC phase-down strategy, arguing that the best way to phase down HFCs is to control their production and consumption.
Mexico passed a Climate Change General Law in 2012, which set targets of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by a 30% by 2020 and by 50% by 2050, taking 2000 as the baseline.
“Key barriers to the phase-down of HFCs are lack of availability of alternatives, lack of capacity in the service sector, lack of funding, and resistance to change,” said Sanchez.
Phase-down provisions would apply to companies importing bulk HFCs. Four sectors are targeted: refrigeration and air conditioning, mobile air conditioning, foam products, and aerosol products.
According to the proposed regulation, product-specific controls would prohibit the import and manufacture of products or systems that contain HFCs.
The proposed new regulation would ban the use of HFCs in certain refrigeration and air conditioning sectors from a specific year, similar to the approach taken by the EU's F-Gas Regulation and California's proposed strategy.
However, it sets rather high GWP limits for most applications. For example, in centralised refrigeration and stand-alone low temperature refrigeration, it tables a limit of 1,500 by 2020.
Stakeholders still have the opportunity to comment on Canada's proposed regulation, said Desjardins.
Augustin Sanchez from Mexico’s Ozone Protection Unit presented the country’s HFC phase-down strategy, arguing that the best way to phase down HFCs is to control their production and consumption.
Mexico passed a Climate Change General Law in 2012, which set targets of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by a 30% by 2020 and by 50% by 2050, taking 2000 as the baseline.
“Key barriers to the phase-down of HFCs are lack of availability of alternatives, lack of capacity in the service sector, lack of funding, and resistance to change,” said Sanchez.