EU Demands Refrigerator Cleanup as Most Potent Gases Escape Law

The European Union urged a cleanup of emissions from air conditioners and refrigerators, saying the gases, as much as 11,700 times more potent in warming the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, are “ripe” for global action.

International coordination to reduce hydrofluorocarbons, known as HFCs or F-gases, could have a “significant impact” on reducing emissions, said Artur Runge-Metzger, the European Commission’s lead envoy at United Nations climate talks that began today in Bonn. HFCs make up about 1 percent of greenhouse gases and may account for more than 20 percent by 2050, he said.