HFCs Gases Used in Air Conditioning Should Be Controlled to Reduce the Adverse Impact on the Global
HFCs are gases which are used in a number of applications. They are employed not only as propellants in aerosolized solutions, but also in cooling systems – as refrigerants. HCFs are produced by a number of chemical companies around the world. The use of these gases has increased massively since the end of the twentieth century.
The harm that is done by HFCs to the global climate can be measured by means of the global warming potential. It is a sort of calculation of the power of a greenhouse gas in the course of a specific time period, compared to carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is assumed to have a GWP of one. The power of a greenhouse gas, and of HFCs, is different depending on the timescale used: 20 years, 100 years, or 500 years. The second timescale, the scale of 100 years, is the most frequently used one, when HFCs emissions are compared to emissions of carbon dioxide.
HFCs contain a mixture composed of different elements. They mostly include carbon and hydrogen, as well as fluorine. HFCs were put forward as a replacement solution for CFCs, because scientists pointed out that CFCs had an adverse effect on the ozone layer. The increasingly vast use of CFCs resulted in severe depletion of the ozone layer and aroused the concern of environmentalists on a global scale. That was why the use of CFCs was restricted, and there were cases in which it was banned. So the need for a replacement solution was obvious, and HFCs were offered as such a solution. HFCs seemed a promising option. But it turned out that they also posed a serious problem, although there were no documented data which indicated a negative impact on the ozone layer. It was established that HFCs interact with greenhouse gases, and thus have their contribution to the overall global warming.
The matters related to refrigerant gases were transferred from the area of the United National Framework Convention on Climate Change to the Montreal Protocol. Institutions such as the Montreal Protocol are aimed at the handling of HFCs, to lessen the impact on the global climate. The Protocol is designed to deal with substances that deplete the ozone layer. It also deals with all substances which are used to replace substances that deplete the ozone layer, such as HFCs. It is clear that the need for phasing down of refrigerant gases, HFCs included, is urgent.
In order to aid countries in their efforts to implement the decisions of the Montreal Protocol, additional measures have been introduced such as the capability to claim the full costs for the phasing out of refrigerant gases. That is valid for developing countries, and in that manner they will be able to claim not just the incremental costs offered by the Montreal Protocol.
These efforts are crucial because HFCs are not an environmental alternative, as it has been established. They belong to the group of F gases. The F stands for fluorine. HFCs are mostly used in refrigeration and in air conditioning, and these sectors take up about 90 percent of the total use of F gases.
The harm that is done by HFCs to the global climate can be measured by means of the global warming potential. It is a sort of calculation of the power of a greenhouse gas in the course of a specific time period, compared to carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is assumed to have a GWP of one. The power of a greenhouse gas, and of HFCs, is different depending on the timescale used: 20 years, 100 years, or 500 years. The second timescale, the scale of 100 years, is the most frequently used one, when HFCs emissions are compared to emissions of carbon dioxide.
HFCs contain a mixture composed of different elements. They mostly include carbon and hydrogen, as well as fluorine. HFCs were put forward as a replacement solution for CFCs, because scientists pointed out that CFCs had an adverse effect on the ozone layer. The increasingly vast use of CFCs resulted in severe depletion of the ozone layer and aroused the concern of environmentalists on a global scale. That was why the use of CFCs was restricted, and there were cases in which it was banned. So the need for a replacement solution was obvious, and HFCs were offered as such a solution. HFCs seemed a promising option. But it turned out that they also posed a serious problem, although there were no documented data which indicated a negative impact on the ozone layer. It was established that HFCs interact with greenhouse gases, and thus have their contribution to the overall global warming.
The matters related to refrigerant gases were transferred from the area of the United National Framework Convention on Climate Change to the Montreal Protocol. Institutions such as the Montreal Protocol are aimed at the handling of HFCs, to lessen the impact on the global climate. The Protocol is designed to deal with substances that deplete the ozone layer. It also deals with all substances which are used to replace substances that deplete the ozone layer, such as HFCs. It is clear that the need for phasing down of refrigerant gases, HFCs included, is urgent.
In order to aid countries in their efforts to implement the decisions of the Montreal Protocol, additional measures have been introduced such as the capability to claim the full costs for the phasing out of refrigerant gases. That is valid for developing countries, and in that manner they will be able to claim not just the incremental costs offered by the Montreal Protocol.
These efforts are crucial because HFCs are not an environmental alternative, as it has been established. They belong to the group of F gases. The F stands for fluorine. HFCs are mostly used in refrigeration and in air conditioning, and these sectors take up about 90 percent of the total use of F gases.
