Global Efforts Falling Short in Curbing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Refrigerant Manufacturing
Air-conditioning units, which often use HFC gases, on a building in Shenyang, China
Visual China Group via Getty Images
Emissions of a potent greenhouse gas, HFC-23, generated during the production of refrigerants, are significantly higher than officially reported by governments. This discrepancy indicates a shortfall in the global initiative to eliminate such emissions.
The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, ratified in 2016 by over 160 nations, aimed to phase out emissions of HFC-23, a gas with a staggering 14,700 times more warming potential than carbon dioxide. Despite government data suggesting a decline in emissions, the actual figures paint a different picture.
