Unreported HFC-23 emissions

A report published in Geophysical Research Letters says that Western Europe's emissions of HFC-23 are around twice as high as the officially reported level within the framework of the Kyoto Protocol.
A report published in Geophysical Research Letters says that Western Europe's emissions of HFC-23 are around twice as high as the officially reported level within the framework of the Kyoto Protocol. In particular, Italy is found to be emitting 10-20 times more HFC-23 than it reports.
HFC-23 is a by-product in the manufacture of HCFC-22 with a very high GWP (14 800) and long lifespan (270 years). Destroying HFC-23 is not currently mandated by the F-gas Regulation.
The report is based on analyses by Empa – the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology – which use a special gas chromatograph mass spectrometer enabling the emission levels of more than 50 halogenated greenhouse gases to be precisely evaluated, making it possible to identify the emission sources regionally.