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Press Release 042/2005

EU regulations could put the brakes on impending rise in fluorinated greenhouse gases

Federal Environment Agency publications updated emissions and forecasts

Fluorinated gases are greenhouse gases that damage the climate with a global warming potential that is up to 24,000 times higher than that of carbon dioxide (CO₂). They are used in industry and products such as air-conditioning and soundproofed windows. The good news: their emissions in Germany decreased between 1995 and 2003 from 16 million tons (mt) to 14 mt in CO₂ equivalents, which is the measure of how damaging these gases are to the climate compared to the major greenhouse gas CO₂. The bad news is that without additional measures a further reduction is hardly feasible. If nothing is done about it, it is forecast that emissions of these climate-damaging gases will increase in the next few years to over 23 mt CO₂ equivalents. These are the conclusions reached in a study commissioned by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) to Öko-Recherche of Frankfurt/Main. However, the study also substantiates that a further reduction is in fact possible if the scheduled EU ordinance and directive on several fluorinated greenhouse gases is implemented consistently. It might then be possible to first limit an emissions increase and then implement additional measures to achieve further reductions.

Fluorinated greenhouse gases include hydrofluorocarbons and perfluorocarbons (HFCs, PFCs) as well as sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). They have a high to very high global warming potential (GWP). GWP indicates how damaging a substance is to the climate compared to carbon dioxide (CO₂), and the major greenhouse gases have a GWP that is 1,400 – 24,000 times higher than that of CO₂. To make direct comparison possible the emissions of the various greenhouse gases are usually expressed in CO₂ equivalents.

At present the greatest source of fluorinated greenhouse gas emissions are air-conditioning systems, e.g. in supermarkets and automobiles, and soundproofed windows. The European Commission plans to pass an ordinance and a directive aimed at reducing these gases. The European Council adopted the so-called common positions on both pieces of legislation on 20 June 2005. After a second reading by the European Parliament they may enter into force in 2006. If the schedule is kept, the rise of fluorinated greenhouse gas emissions in Germany can be curtailed considerably.

In four different scenarios the study illustrates how the emissions increase can be limited to 16 mt CO₂ by 2020, and in a second phase, reduced to 11 mt CO₂ equivalents.

The interim study report Emissionen und Emissionsprognosen von H?FKW, FKW und SF6 in Deutschland [Emissions and emissions forecasts for HFCs, PFCs, and SF6 in Germany], the common positions on the legislation, and the complete report titled Fluorinated Greenhouse gases in Products and Processes – Technical Climate Protection Measures have been published on the UBA web site, http://www.umweltbundesamt.de; on the Fluorierte Treibhausgase und FCKW (fluorinated greenhouse gases and CFCs) page.

Dessau-Roßlau, 24 August 2005