Press Releases
New Report Identifies Sources of Environmental Dumping of ACs in African Countries
July 9, 2020
Environmentally Harmful Dumping of Inefficient and Obsolete Air Conditioners in Africa details the extent of the problem across ten countries in Africa, ultimately providing policymakers with a set of solutions to encourage a transition toward highly-efficient, sustainable cooling technologies. read more
U.S. House of Representatives Introduces HFC Legislation
January 8, 2020
A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives introduced legislation on January 7th to phase down the production and consumption of HFCs and to transition the U.S. to more climate-friendly substitutes. read more
Major Nations, Vatican Announce “Rome Declaration” to Use Montreal Protocol and Sustainable Refrigeration to Reduce Food Loss and Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions
November 9, 2019
More than 50 nations agreed today to a declaration to promote innovation of energy efficient solutions and technologies in the development of so-called “cold chains”, cooling and refrigeration, to reduce food loss and waste, and curb resulting powerful greenhouse gas methane and HFC emissions. read more
New Federal Legislation Phasing Down HFCs Attracts Bipartisan Support
October 30, 2019
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) introduced legislation today phasing down the production and consumption of HFCs, potent greenhouse gases widely used in refrigerators and ACs. The bill has drawn significant bipartisan support, given the broad consensus among U.S. manufacturers seeking to capitalize on a transition to low-GWP HFCs. read more
IPCC Warns of Tipping Points from Loss of Arctic Snow and Ice
September 25, 2019
The IPPC’s Special Report on Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, notes the cryosphere is already experiencing a number of globally consequential tipping elements and climate feedback loops that could permanently alter regional and global climate. In the next few decades, these will include mass loss from glaciers, permafrost thaw, and decline in Arctic snow cover and sea ice. read more
Loss of Arctic’s Reflective Sea Ice Will Advance 2°C Guardrail 25 Years
July 12, 2019
Losing the remaining Arctic sea ice and its reflective power to send incoming solar radiation safely back to space is equivalent to adding one trillion tons of CO2 to the atmosphere, on top of the 2.4 trillion emitted since the Industrial Age. This roughly equates to adding 25 years of additional global CO2 emissions. read more
Study: U.S. Costal Communities Face More Than $400 Billion in Seawall Costs by 2040
June 20, 2019
Coastal communities in the contiguous U.S. face more than $400 billion in costs over the next 20 years, much of it sooner, to defend coastal communities from inevitable sea-level rise. As things stand, oil and gas companies and other climate polluters are paying none of these costs. read more
Catastrophic Arctic Warming Predicted Even with Current Paris Pledges
March 25, 2019
Update & Correction: Following further consultation with global and Arctic climate experts, the UN has issued a revised version of Global Linkages–A graphic look at the changing Arctic. The revised report explains winter temperatures over the Arctic Ocean would increase 3 to 5°C by mid-century. read more
Mobile Air Conditioning, Lowest Cost Alternative Refrigerant Identified
March 8, 2019
Implemented in a new design called Secondary Loop Mobile Air Conditioning (SL-MAC), the lowest cost alternative refrigerant to HFC-134a has been identified as R-152a. This improved refrigerant is more energy efficient and requires less routine maintenance. read more
Dumping of Obsolete Air Conditioners Undermines Development and Climate Goals
January 9, 2019
Inefficient ACs dumped into other countries overload energy resources, undermining national and local efforts to manage energy, environment, health, and climate goals, according to new analysis published in the Duke Environmental Law & Policy Forum. read more
