Fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases) are fluorine-containing synthetic compounds with high Global Warming Potentials (GWP). They are the fastest growing group of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and have been regulated in the European Union (EU) since 2006.
Despite this undeniable success, significant greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to almost half a billion tonnes of CO2 are occurring each year, linked to unregulated fluorochemical industrial processes. This briefing explores additional measures that can be taken under the Montreal Protocol to contribute to averting the climate crisis.
The global call to action on climate change is clear – to have any chance of limiting warming to 1.5°C, we must reduce global greenhouse gas emissions to at least 43 per cent below 2019 levels by 2030.1
The reduction of global methane emissions is critical to keeping global heating within 1.5°C and preventing climate tipping points from irreversibly changing the planet’s climate system. Without mitigation, methane emissions from all three sectors are projected to continue to increase steadily, by up to 150 per cent of 2010 emissions in 2100.
EIA is urging significant investment in the ozone treaty, which can secure substantial additional greenhouse gas emission reductions in the near future. A new briefing “Meeting the Moment: Securing the Montreal Protocol’s Legacy in this Decisive Decade for Climate Action” analyses and provides recommendations on a variety of issues on the agenda for MOP35.
Using cutting-edge infrared detection equipment, EIA investigators detected high levels of fluorinated gas (F-gas) emissions at the fencelines of two production facilities in the U.S. operated by Honeywell and Chemours. Several potent greenhouse gases identified in the report have not been declared in recent years of greenhouse gas reporting to the EPA.