Unchecked

The fluorochemical industry’s scandalous HFC-23 by-product emissions amid the climate crisis

Emissions of HFC-23, a potent greenhouse gas, reached a record high of 17,300 tonnes/year in 2019, equivalent to more than a quarter of a billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (254 MtCO₂e).

Since 2020, the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer has required Parties to capture and destroy HFC-23, which is primarily produced and emitted as an unwanted byproduct of HCFC-22, an ozone-depleting substance (ODS) controlled by the Montreal Protocol.

Before the Kigali Amendment, multiple domestic, regional and international efforts have been made to address HFC-23 emissions, starting with the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) in 2006 and followed by domestic legislation in most major producing countries and pledges by industry to abate the emissions.