HFCs are used as refrigerant gases. They are very good at cooling our food, they are even better at warming the Earth. Some retailers accept their environmental responsibilities and invest in HFC-free systems, but others have yet to be convinced. For this reason energy efficiency is a focal point of this year’s report
An entire book deserves to be written on how the world’s big chemical companies have cynically sought to undermine the science of climate change with the sole aim of raking in more profit but on World Ozone Day it’s important to focus on the positives and consider why the global ozone regime remains as relevant as ever
The true global scale of wildlife and forest crime doesn’t become apparent until you look at all these environmental abuses as a single whole. Wildlife and forest crime is a serious, transnational crime, alongside human trafficking, money laundering, arms trade and drug dealing. It’s worth at least US$17 billion a year
It feels as if the world is finally waking up to the fact that not only do we need to get rid of HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons) but that the solutions are there for the taking – we can chill out without heating up the planet.
Amid preparations for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change talks, the Montreal Protocol quietly announced a decision to fund China’s phase-out of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), a move which will keep eight billion tonnes of greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere, not far off China’s annual CO2 emissions
If 2012 has shown anything, it’s that we’re still small and that our concise reports anchored in hard documentary evidence – often obtained undercover in potentially dangerous circumstances – continue to give us the clout to punch well above our weight