EEA publish fluorinated greenhouse gases report

The European Environment Agency (EEA) has published a report confirming the trend of continued reduction in the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by European industry, under both the EU-wide regulated phase-down of HFCs and the global HFC phase-down, which began in 2019 under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.

In key findings from the report: 

• The volume of total supply of fluorinated gases (F-gases) in the EU, measured in tonnes, was 15% below 2018, and almost 25% below 2017. Expressed in carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), the reduction is at 20% below 2018 and 42% below 2017. Refrigeration and air conditioning continue to be key applications. 
• Total imports of F-gases to the EU in 2019 decreased by 14% compared with 2018, or 19% if measured in CO2e. Most of this decrease is due to lower HFC imports, and the remainder is caused by decreases in imports of sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) and perfluorocarbons (PFCs). 
• Fluorinated greenhouse gas emissions have been decreasing in the EU since 2015, after 15 years of uninterrupted annual increases. In 2018, total fluorinated greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 11% from their peak in 2014.

Source: EEA, 1 December 2020