Chemicals used currently intensify Global Warming

Although the chemicals replacing CFCs do no have ozone-depletion effects, they significantly contribute to global warming, a new study has found. HCFCs and HFCs are estimated to add the equivalent of 3 billion tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere by 2015.

The new report "Turning Up the Heat", by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), analyses the impact of the use of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), widely used for refrigeration purposes, among other applications. The conclusions are devastating: These chemicals are up to 10,000 times worse for the climate than carbon dioxide, and their emissions could be expected to add two to three times more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere than the Kyoto Protocol is required to reduce. "As it stands, the global warming impact of world HCFCs and HFCs emissions will rival the total greenhouse gas emissions of the entire European Union within ten years," said Alexander von Bismarck, campaigns director for EIA's Washington, DC office. The emissions of HCFCs and HFCs are predicted to skyrocket in the next 20 years, as countries such as China and India increase production to satisfy US and world demands. Since HCFCs are controlled by the Montreal Protocol, and HFCs by the Kyoto Protocol, these chemicals are thus "trapped" between both treaties. The solution, according to EIA, would be to accelerate the phase out of HCFCs and fund the promotion of alternatives under the Montreal protocol. Climate and ozone friendly refrigerants, such as CO₂ technology for refrigeration, are already available in Europe but are in limited use globally.