When it comes to refrigerant gases and US climate obligations, there is work to be done.
That much was crystallized when the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act (the AIM Act) came into force in December 2020. It gave the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) three new ways to reduce emissions from the most- climate-damaging hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by phasing down their use through the setting of allowances for their production and consumption. It also set some sector-based restrictions and aimed to maximize reclamation and minimize releases from equipment.
There have been various follow-up additions in the years since that landmark legislation which finesse some of the finer details, but the essential aim is to phase down the use of high global-warming-potential (GWP) HFCs over a 14-year period, with a clear timetable for cutting HFC-derived carbon dioxide emissions (see the side panel for the phasing targets). In the meantime, a range of less-climate-damaging alternatives are gaining favor. When you are ready, please do turn to page 54 to read Stephen Harrison’s detailed, technical look at the state of play and the direction of travel not just here in the US but more widely.
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