Hong Kong Customs displays 82.5kg of rhino horns from South Africa and destined for Malaysia. Photo: ISD

Climate

Preventing runaway climate change and warming of more than 1.5°C requires accelerating emission reductions of potent short-lived climate pollutants, such as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and other fluorinated chemicals. EIA’s Climate Campaign seeks to eliminate emissions of HFCs and other potent greenhouse gases used primarily in cooling and heating.  

Climate Campaign Goals

Currently the world is not on track to limit warming to less than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels in order to avoid tipping points leading to catastrophic climate change. We must seize the opportunity to rid the world of fluorinated super pollutants to keep this goal within reach. 

To maximize the immediate climate benefits that can be achieved by eliminating super-pollutant HFCs, we seek to: 

  • Ensure robust implementation and enforcement of the Kigali Amendment to avoid up to 0.4°C by the end of this century
  • Accelerate the HFC phase down schedule under the Montreal Protocol and maximize energy efficiency co-benefits
  • Prevent lifecycle emissions of all existing HFCs and other fluorinated refrigerants, mitigating up to an additional 100Gt CO2e in direct emissions by 2100
  • Unlock U.S. leadership through innovative policy solutions and comprehensive implementation of the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act

Areas of Work

Climate Campaign Impact

  • EIA advocacy at the Montreal Protocol over many years contributed to finalizing a global HFC phasedown agreement under the Kigali Amendment, which is expected to mitigate 80 billion tonnes CO2e in emissions by 2050, avoiding up to 0.5°C warming by the end of the century. We continue our work to ensure successful implementation, and future acceleration of this global effort to achieve rapid climate benefits. 
  • Our 2018 investigation identified widespread illegal use of CFC-11 in China’s foam sector as a major source of an unexplained increase in emissions of the banned substance. The report spurred immediate enforcement action, leading to a subsequent rapid decline in emissions the following year in a major win for global climate and ozone protection. 
  • EIA created the first interactive grassroots platform for corporate accountability on refrigerants, at www.climatefriendlysupermarkets.org. Hundreds of citizen activists have engaged with the platform by submitting data to our map and signing various petitions urging supermarkets to transition to HFC-free technologies and prevent refrigerant leaks.

Featured Work

Related Resources

Report

EIA Briefing to the 89th meeting (Part 1) of the Executive Committee of the Multilateral Fund

This briefing outlines EIA’s views and recommendations on two substantive issues under discussion at the 89th meeting of the Executive Committee (ExCom) of the Multilateral Fund (MLF). Review of Institutional Strengthening Projects, Including Funding Levels Document 89/4 recognises the major contribution and the relevance of institutional strengthening (IS) support in the achievement of A5 countries […]

Blog

Modernized Safety Standard: A Crucial Milestone for Clean Cooling

Continued use of refrigerants containing hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), super greenhouse gases thousands of times more potent than CO2, is fueling the climate crisis. With the global stock of household air conditioners expected to triple by 2050, it is critical for this sector to be HFC-free and energy efficient. A crucial milestone was reached this week for […]

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Press Release

U.S. Signals It Means Business in Preventing HFC Black Market

Initial Enforcement Actions Announced by Interagency Task Force on Illegal HFC Trade Washington DC—Today the U.S. EPA announced a series of initial enforcement actions taken in the first several months of implementing the phasedown of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act. An Interagency Task Force on Illegal HFC Trade was established in […]

Report

On Thin Ice

  EIA’s investigative report On Thin Ice: How the NHL is Cheating the Climate exposes an arrangement to promote climate misinformation and greenwash super-pollutant hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants involving the National Hockey League and chemical producer Chemours. At a time when science unequivocally tells us that we need immediate and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gases to […]

Video

U.S. Center COP26 – Securing the Climate Benefits of the Global HFC Phasedown

  Watch above or directly on Youtube!EIA’s Executive Director Alexander von Bismarck participated in a U.S. side event at COP 26. EPA Administrator Michael Regan hosted the event with participation from other environmental leaders from Japan, Canada, and the European Union to discuss preventing markets for illegal trade in Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under the implementation of […]

Press Release

EPA Grants Petitions to Transition Technologies Away from HFCs

Washington DC – Today the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) responded to a series of petitions requesting certain sectors be required to transition away from using most hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in newly manufactured products. EPA granted or partially granted multiple petitions, including the petition submitted by EIA that calls on EPA to replicate HFC regulations recently finalized […]