Page 1
Tag: Kigali Amendment
-
Report: China’s HFC emissions on the rise
A recent study has found that China’s hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) emissions represent more than 20 per cent of total global HFC emissions.
-
US EPA confirms final pillar of HFC phase-down plan
The US EPA has announced a final rule to establish a new program to better manage, recycle, and reuse HFCs under the AIM Act.
-
Cold Hard Facts 4 released
The much-anticipated Cold Hard Facts 4 report has been released, providing a bird’s-eye view of the local HVAC&R sector and highlighting the need for direct action to transition away from high-GWP refrigerants if Australia is to meet its international obligations under the Montreal Protocol.
-
Living beyond our means: Australia’s refrigerant reckoning
Australia is using more refrigerant than it imports and will face a reckoning when stockpiles run out, according to Cold Hard Facts 4.
-
Vale Pat McInerney
Staunch environmental advocate and Australian representative at meetings of the Montreal Protocol Patrick McInerney has passed away, aged 61.
-
European views on the F-gas phase-out
HVAC&R News reached out to experts in Europe who have been closely engaged with the revision of the F-gas regulation for their views.
-
COP28 criticised for unsustainable cooling
The EIA has called out the organisers of COP28 for using air conditioners with “climate wrecking” HFC and HCFC refrigerants.
-
Countries commit to Global Cooling Pledge
More than 60 countries have committed to the Global Cooling Pledge at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai.
-
Heat pumps unlikely to blow our HFC budget
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) has released a new report from the Expert Group that analyses how increased heat pump deployment in Australia could impact our goals to phase down HFC refrigerants. The report finds that although heat pump use will rise significantly, there will not be an increase […]
-
US lays out next steps for HFC phase-down
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced an HFC reduction of 40 per cent below historic levels from 2024 through 2028. The rule aligns with the bipartisan American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act’s goals to reduce the production and consumption of HFCs by 85 per cent by 2036. The US began its phase-down on […]
-
Global refrigerant licence scheme launched
After a decade of work from organisations around the globe and a series of pilot projects, the United Nations Refrigerant Driving Licence (RDL) scheme was launched at the 45th meeting of the Open-ended Working Group of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol, held in Bangkok. The RDL is a comprehensive refrigerant management qualification program that […]
-
CFCs on the rise again?
A new study has found increased emissions of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), despite their production being banned under the Montreal Protocol. The researchers say the most likely cause is a “loophole” that allows the creation of CFCs during the production of other chemicals, including common synthetic refrigerants. The research, published in Nature Geoscience and led by the […]
-
World grapples with refrigerant transition
A special international publication has collected perspectives from around the globe on the transition to low-GWP refrigerants under the Kigali Amendment. With the help of local experts, it reveals how the HFC phase-down is tracking, the major challenges so far, and the potential solutions. The Kigali Amendment aims to phase down HFC production worldwide by […]
-
US commits to HFC phase-down
The US Senate has ratified the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, joining the 137 other countries that have already ratified the treaty. The Kigali Amendment calls for a gradual reduction in the consumption and production of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are potent greenhouse gases. Many of these are used as refrigerants in HVAC&R systems. “The […]
-
Propane AC could help avoid global temperature rises
A report published at the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) has highlighted the emissions that could be avoided by switching to propane as a refrigerant in split-system air conditioners. The research team estimates that such a transition could avoid a 0.09°C increase in global temperature by the end of the century. Global […]
-
Tensions rise over EU HFC phase-down plans
As the European Union considers ambitious new targets for phasing down HFC refrigerants, industry is divided about the path forward. Some groups have cautioned regulators against moving too fast, but others believe the stricter phase-down is both achievable and desirable. What’s on the table? In April this year, the European Commission proposed two new regulations […]
-
Days of R404A are numbered
High-GWP refrigerants may soon be in short supply and rising in price as stockpiles dwindle, international pressures hit our shores, and the HFC phase-down quotas start to bite. And according to experts at AIRAH’s Refrigeration 2022 conference this week, that means it’s time for contractors to urgently switch away from R404A. When the HFC phase-down […]
-
US set to cut HFCs
The Biden administration has announced the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will release a new rule to reduce the emissions of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by 85 per cent over 15 years. The move, signalled earlier this year, will bring the USA in line with the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which has now been ratified by […]
-
New report exposes scale of illegal HFC trade
A new report from the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has exposed the alarming extent to which HFC refrigerants are illegally bought and sold in Europe. It suggests that the illegal trade represents as much as 30 per cent of the legal trade – or as much as 30 million tonnes of CO2e. Titled Europe’s Most […]
-
Researchers sound further warnings about HFOs
A new report from the German Environment Agency, and research from the University of New South Wales have raised more concerns about the environmental impacts of HFO refrigerants. When hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) were identified as greenhouse gases, and targeted for phase-down under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) were put forward as an […]