Hydrofluorocarbons

Subject – Environment

Context – EPA rule sharply limits HFCs, gases used as refrigerants

Concept –

Environmental Protection Agency is sharply limiting domestic production and use of hydrofluorocarbons, highly potent greenhouse gases commonly used in refrigerators and air conditioners.
The new rule announced is intended to decrease U.S. production and use of HFCs by 85% over the next 15 years, part of a global phaseout designed to slow global warming.
The administration also is taking steps to crack down on imports of HFCs, greenhouse gases that are thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide. They often leak through pipes or appliances that use compressed refrigerants and are considered a major driver of global warming.
President Joe Biden has pledged to embrace a 2016 global agreement to greatly reduce HFCs by 2036.
The rule, set to take effect in late October, is expected to reduce harmful emissions by the equivalent of 4.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide by 2050.

To know about Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol and about HFCs, please click here.