Abstract
THE EFFECT OF hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) on climate change could increase significantly in a few decades unless emissions are controlled or the compounds are phased out. HFCs were broadly commercialized as refrigerants in the 1990s, and their global-warming effects were known then. But they were seen as eco-friendly because they replaced substances that deplete stratospheric ozone. Now, scientists say the globally expanding use of HFCs is a significant environmental threat. HFCs are powerful greenhouse gases, trapping heat in the atmosphere that otherwise would be lost to space. They remain in the atmosphere for times that vary from years to centuries. And they have globalwarming potentials (GWPs) that, on a mass basis, are hundreds to thousands of times more powerful than that of carbon dioxide. Participants at the 2011 International Year of Chemistry Symposium on Stratospheric Ozone & Climate Change, held last month in Washington, D.C., discussed efforts to address the global-warming effects of HFCs. On ...
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