U.S., Canada and Mexico Join Forces to Eliminate Super Greenhouse Gases

Proposals Would Tackle HFCs at Montreal Protocol, Reap Huge Climate Benefits

WASHINGTON, April 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The State Department announced the formal submission of two proposals by Canada, Mexico and the U.S. seeking action to phase down global production and use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under the Montreal Protocol.  If agreed to by other nations, an international phase down of these powerful greenhouse gases (GHG) could begin almost immediately.

The nation of Micronesia submitted a similar proposal yesterday also calling for a global phase-down of HFCs.  Micronesia and the U.S. both proposed similar action to the Montreal Protocol last year, but were unable to obtain agreement among other nations.  The Montreal Protocol is generally regarded as the most successful environmental accord in history, having successfully halted the destruction of the ozone layer through its work with the same industries that currently utilize HFCs.

HFCs and other fluorinated gases are the only GHGs intentionally produced and are currently one sixth (17%) of the human contribution to global warming.  HFCs are used primarily in refrigeration and air conditioning and were developed as replacements for ozone depleting substances (ODS).  They have global warming potentials thousands of times higher than CO2 and can persist in the atmosphere for up to 250 years.  Soaring growth in HFCs is projected to rise so dramatically that by 2050 they could cancel the benefit of CO2 reductions the world is looking to achieve from an international climate agreement.

The United States, Canada and Mexico also proposed funding for the destruction of HFC-23, a manufacturing byproduct that has a global warming potential 14,800 times that of CO2.  Recent studies documented that atmospheric concentrations of HFC-23 have increased by 55% in the last few years even though it can be destroyed for about $0.20 per ton, making it one of the cheapest options for climate mitigation.

"This is what real leadership is all about.  Eliminating HFCs is the most cost-effective, achievable and immediate response available for climate mitigation," said Samuel LaBudde, U.S. Atmospheric Campaign Director for the Environmental Investigation Agency.  "It's an unrivaled opportunity to prevent several years worth of global greenhouse gas emissions and pull the world back from the brink of runaway climate change."

Under the North American proposal, developed nations would begin stepping down HFC use beginning in 2014, with progressively greater reduction targets being implemented every few years.  Developing nations would follow a similar but delayed schedule to allow for funding and technology transfers from developed countries - the same method successfully used to phase out ozone depleting substances.

The total estimated total cost of an HFC phase down is less than $4 billion U.S. over a 30-year period shared among developed nations to prevent upwards of 100 billion tons of CO2 equivalent emissions.  The UNFCCC/Kyoto Protocol has spent approximately $30 billion to secure 1.5 billion tons of reductions through its Clean Development Mechanism.

For more information on HFCs and to download EIA's HFC reports visit:

www.eia-global.org/global_climate/global_climate_reports.html

SOURCE Environmental Investigation Agency