The United States and China have made a joint commitment of mutual cooperation to phase down HFCs under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, following meetings in Shanghai between US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and China Special Envoy for Climate Change Xie Zhenhua. Among the world’s largest producers and consumers of HFCs, the two … Continue reading US, China get serious on HFCs
Technology will help stem illegal sales, reduce influx of illicit refrigerants EFFORTS to counter the extensive illegal refrigerant trade in Europe are about to be bolstered by a new advanced software system from the United Kingdom. The system, which will be developed by online trading specialist Vistalworks, will be designed to automatically find and identify … Continue reading Refrigerant robocop
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is being sued for rolling back hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) leak prevention and repair requirements from 2016. The lawsuit, filed by the international non-profit Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), is hoped to prevent the move as part of ongoing efforts to ease the climate crisis. HFCs are extremely powerful greenhouse … Continue reading Clash over US HFC regulations
The illegal refrigerant trade in Europe is extracting a heavy toll on legitimate business on both sides of the Atlantic. As a case in point, the profits of US-based refrigerant and chemical specialist Chemours fell from $10.1 billion in 2018 to $8.4 billion in 2019, with the hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) black market cited as one of … Continue reading Trade in illegal refrigerant hits hard
The red R134a sticker on a refrigerant line fitting in the image above is found under the bonnet of a cutting-edge electric vehicle that is selling well in Australia. The Hyundai Kona. Inset is a J639 label from another hi-tech EV, the Jaguar I-Pace, sold in Australia carrying 850 grams of R134a. The Kona uses … Continue reading Car-makers keep using high-GWP refrigerant
Expert committee denounces lack of EC response to illegal, hazardous refrigerant import A new committee established to tackle the challenges of fluorinated greenhouse gas (F-gas) regulations has slated the European Commission’s handling of illegal refrigerants. The ‘Initiative Coolektiv’, which is led by experts from companies such as Honeywell, Chemours and Westfalen, states that refrigerants equivalent … Continue reading Illegal refrigerant trade soldiers on
The end of Australian car production by Ford, Holden and Toyota has not resulted in greater uptake of R1234yf refrigerant, according to the latest Cold Hard Facts report commissioned by the Department of the Environment and Energy. Cold Hard Facts (CHF) is a detailed examination of the Australian refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) industry, with the … Continue reading Slow YF uptake increase since end of Aussie car-making
California has voted to pass a new act that will reduce the use of “super-polluting” HFCs in an effort to cut global warming. The announcement of the new California Cooling Act comes as a great relief to many. Recently, the Trump administration has begun unwinding Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) legislation that aimed to cut the … Continue reading US fight over HFC use rumbles on
New regulations and permit schemes in the works New Zealand environment minister David Parker has announced that the country will delay its ratification of the Kigali Amendment by 12 months. The year-long hiatus is to allow New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to carry out the required health and safety amendments before ratification … Continue reading NZ to ratify Kigali in late 2019
A staggering 32 executives from HVAC and refrigeration companies have written to US President Donald Trump and urged him to ratify the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. The letter, which was copied to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, represented the views of companies such as Honeywell, Chemours, Dow Chemical, Ingersoll Rand, Arkema and Fujitsu … Continue reading US wavers on Kigali
