US and China move dialogue forward on super greenhouse gas phase-down

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the annual US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue kicks off this week, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) applauds both governments for putting hydroflourocarbons (HFCs) on the agenda. HFCs are super greenhouse gases used primarily in refrigeration, air conditioners and foams with the global warming potential 1,000 to 3,000 times that of carbon dioxide (CO₂)

Following today’s plenary session on climate change, the US State Department released the US-China Climate Change Working Group Fact Sheet, stating the two countries will work to implement the agreement on HFCs reached by President Obama and President Xi at their meeting in Sunnylands, California last month.

“After China and the United States recently announced an agreement to phase-down HFCs, it’s encouraging to see them discussing implementation,” said Alexander von Bismarck, executive director of EIA. “China and the United States need to start walking the talk by taking strong domestic actions to bolster their credibility among other countries.”

As the two countries work on implementing their agreement towards phasing-out HFCs, EIA recommends the following immediate steps that can be taken to turn words into action.

Halt domestic HFC-23 emissions

First and foremost, China and the United States must require refrigerant companies producing HCFC-22 to stop releasing vast amounts of HFC-23 into the air. HFC-23, a by-product in the production of the refrigerant HCFC-22, has a global warming potential 14,800 times higher than CO₂.

EIA has recently revealed in a new report that certain plants in China are releasing significant amounts of HFC-23 into the atmosphere, making them some of the largest point sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the world. Our report finds that Chinese plants, despite having technology to destroy HFC-23, are already venting or threatening to release this by-product unless they receive additional financing to dispose of the chemicals. If this happens, it could cause the release of more than 2 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) into the atmosphere by 2020.

HCFC-22 producers in the United States, such as Dupont, Honeywell and Arkema, also share responsibility. The best available technologies and maintenance practices allow about 100 percent of HFC-23 to be destroyed. There is no excuse for these few plants to release about 7 million metric tons of CO₂e annually, which is equivalent to carbon emissions from electricity usage in over a million American households a year. The two countries should work with these companies to prevent the additional release of HFC-23.

Provide unequivocal support for a phase-down of HFCs under the Montreal Protocol

Despite China and the United States recently agreeing to the phase-down HFCs, the countries should send a clear, diplomatic signal to the international community that the Montreal Protocol is the best place to phase-down the production and consumption of HFCs. While China did not block HFC management discussions in the recent Montreal Protocol meeting, EIA believes that is not enough. We expect China to play a more proactive role in the next Meeting of Parties of the Montreal Protocol in October later this year.

Bolster alternatives to HFCs

EIA strongly urges the two countries -- the largest producers and consumers of HFCs in the world -- to chart out a clear pathway for transition to non-HFC technology in key sectors. EIA also suggests the two countries work together on pilot projects through their EcoPartnerships program to demonstrate to the world that alternative technologies exist and can be commercially viable.

The meetings this week provide an opportunity for two of the world’s worst climate polluters to take immediate and credible steps.

Notes to Editor:

• The EcoPartnerships program brings together Chinese and US entities from the public, private, and civic sectors to create mutual economic and environmental benefits through voluntary, cooperative partnerships at the sub-national level.