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.
The expected expansion of plastic production will emit greenhouse gases (GHG) equivalent to an estimated 56 Gt CO2e between 2015-50, representing 10-13 per cent of the entire remaining carbon budget. Addressing plastic production is therefore a climate priority and the adoption of a new global plastics treaty which promotes a circular economy for plastics and controls plastic production is a key climate strategy.