HFC-23 China Policy Brief
Hydrofluorocarbon-23 (HFC-23), also known as trifluoromethane (CHF3), is a very potent greenhouse gas largely unintentionally created, for instance, as a byproduct during the production of fluorinated compounds and chemical feedstocks, including hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC)-22. HFC-23 also has limited commercial uses, such as an ultra-low temperature refrigerant for specialized storage and manufacturing. HFC-23 has a 20-year global warming potential (GWP) of 12,400 and a 100-year GWP of 14,700, meaning that one kilogram of HFC-23 released into the atmosphere will trap 14,700 times more heat over a 100-year period compared to one kilogram of carbon dioxide.
HFC-23 is a controlled substance under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (Montreal Protocol) via the Kigali Amendment thereto. Rather than providing a phasedown or phaseout schedule, the Montreal Protocol requires Parties to ensure that their emissions of HFC-23 are destroyed to the extent practicable, using technologies that the Parties approve, and to comply with certain HFC-23 reporting obligations. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are now being phased down under the Montreal Protocol’s Kigali Amendment, with the potential to avoid up to 0.5 °C of warming by 2100. Cutting HFC-23 emissions will provide additional mitigation not included in the 0.5 °C calculation.
Because efforts to reduce HFC-23 emissions are critical in the global climate emergency and recent reports include references to China’s HFC-23 emissions, this briefing highlights scientific findings and provides a timeline recounting China’s policy developments relevant to HFC-23 emissions control.
Read the full brief here.
