IIn 1987, the Montreal Protocol phased out the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), an ozone-depleting substance (ODS) used as coolants in refrigeration and air conditioning. Unfortunately, the chemicals increasingly being deployed in their place, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are themselves exceptionally potent greenhouse gases.
The consumption and emissions of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are projected to increase substantially in the coming decades in response to regulation of ozone depleting gases under the Montreal Protocol. The projected increases result primarily from sustained growth in demand for refrigeration, air-conditioning (AC) and insulating foam products in developing countries assuming no new regulation of HFC consumption or emissions.
