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☆ A California man charged with smuggling greenhouse gases hints at the revival of a decades-long black market
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

But there's also a blooming black market in greenhouse gases. HFCs are commonly used in refrigerators and air conditioners, but they're also potent greenhouse gases. There's been a thriving black market for climate-altering refrigerant chemicals since the 1990s, at times as lucrative as selling cocaine. KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty ImagesThe black market "comes with the territory" of regulation, Doniger said. At the height of the CFC black market, many cars still used those refrigerants for their air conditioners.

Persons: there's, hydrofluorocarbons, they're, Adrees Latif, Michael Hart, Tara McGrath, There's, Hart, Carlo Allegri, David Doniger, HFCs, Avipsa, Victor Molina, KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI, Mahapatra, Doniger Organizations: Service, Department of, Business, Facebook, Department of Justice, Reuters, Natural Resources Defense Council, NASA, Environmental Investigation Agency, Getty, EPA, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, DOJ, US Attorney's, Southern, of, New York Times, CFC Locations: San Diego, Mexico, Port of Miami, Montreal, Elk Grove Village , Illinois, AFP, United States, of California, HFCs, Europe

☆ Man charged with smuggling greenhouse gases from Mexico into US in first-of-a-kind prosecution
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A California man was arrested and charged Monday with allegedly smuggling potent, planet-heating greenhouse gases from Mexico, marking the first such prosecution in the US, according to a statement from the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California. He is then alleged to have sold them for a profit on sites including Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp. These greenhouse gases are short-lived in the atmosphere, but powerful — some are thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide in the near-term. “The illegal smuggling of hydrofluorocarbons, a highly potent greenhouse gas, undermines international efforts to combat climate change,” said David M. Uhlmann, the assistant administrator for the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. In 2016, nearly 200 nations including the US agreed to the Kigali Amendment to reduce planet-heating pollution from these greenhouse gases.

Persons: Michael Hart, Hart, Todd Kim, HFCs, ”, David M, Tara McGrath, ” Hart Organizations: CNN, US, Office, Southern, Southern District of, Facebook, Justice Department’s, Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA’s, UN Environment, AC, Department of Justice Locations: California, Mexico, Southern District, Southern District of California, San Diego, United States, Kigali

The Global Cooling Pledge would mark the world's first collective focus on energy emissions from the cooling sector. That would equal one-tenth of expected global emissions, the report said, and would strain electric grids. Organizers hope to see at least 80 countries supporting the cooling pledge, given the urgent need to slash climate-warming emissions and keep people safe from dangerous heatwaves. Nearly three-quarters of the potential for reducing cooling emissions by mid-century can be found in G20 countries, the UNEP report said. UNEP estimates that global efforts to tackle cooling emissions could avoid the release of up to 78 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Persons: Amr Alfiky, Brian Dean, Gloria Dickie, Sarita Chaganti Singh, Katy Daigle Organizations: United Nations, Change, United Arab Emirates, REUTERS, Rights, U.S . State Department, United Nations Environment Programme, Reuters, U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, Sustainable Energy, UNEP, Thomson Locations: Dubai, United Arab, United States, U.S, Kenya, India

But industry experts say governments need to offer incentives for companies to bring sustainable AC technologies to market and scale up. Removing humidity requires cooling air to the point at which water vapour becomes a liquid to be drained. This inability to get rid of humidity without first cooling the air makes conventional ACs less efficient. The company's AC prototype uses these materials to dry out air, aiming to produce fewer emissions than traditional ACs. More than 1 billion people living in warm climates still lack access to cooling, according to nonprofit Sustainable Energy for All.

Persons: Pedro Rodriguez, Susana Vera, We've, Lily Riahi, Riahi, Sorin Grama, Grama, Gree, Daikin, Miki Yamanaka, Larissa Gross, UNEP's Riahi, Baolong Wang, Wang, Xavier Moya, Gloria Dickie, Katy Daigle, Simon Jessop, Josie Kao Organizations: Puerta del, REUTERS, Rights, International Energy Agency, United Nations Environment Programme's, Cool Coalition, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Daikin's Global Environment Center, Sustainable Energy, Tsinghua University, University of Cambridge, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Puerta del Sol, Madrid, Spain, Seville, Europe, Spanish, Beijing, Indonesia, Britain, U.S

The Global Cooling Pledge – set to be announced at the upcoming United Nations climate summit, COP28 – represents a tough request given the cooling industry is only expected to grow. The emissions from both the refrigerants and the energy used in cooling now account for about 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and are expected to triple by 2050 as temperatures continue to rise. "We need cooling, but it has to become more efficient," UNEP Cool Coalition global coordinator Lily Riahi said. Another 13 commitments outlined in the draft pledge include establishing minimum energy performance standards for air conditioning by 2030, and including cooling emissions in countries' overall climate action plans, called Nationally Determined Contributions. The UNEP estimates that global efforts to tackle cooling emissions could have a significant impact by 2050, avoiding the release of up to 86 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Persons: Tyrone Siu, –, Noah Horowitz, Lily Riahi, Gloria Dickie, Katy Daigle, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: China Import, Export Fair, Canton Fair, REUTERS, Reuters, United, Programme's, Cool Coalition, International Energy Agency, UNEP, Coalition, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Canton, Guangzhou, China, India, United States, Nations, United Arab Emirates, Kigali, Montreal, Dubai, London

Refrigerants used in fridges, freezers and cars change from a fluid to a gas to transport heat away from the place you want cooled. In refrigerators, the refrigerant starts as a liquid and expands into a gas, which forces it to cool down. The refrigerant then flows through condenser coils where it releases its heat out and cools back into a liquid. The cycle starts over when the refrigerant enters the expansion device, where the fluid spreads out, cools, and once again turns into a gas. Methane, the second most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide is 28, or 28 times worse.

Persons: hasn’t Organizations: Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, AP Locations: fridges, Phoenix , Arizona, Dubai, Montreal, Kigali, United States

☆ US tackles climate-warming HFC industrial gases with new rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Signage is seen at the headquarters of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 10, 2021. The EPA also issued a proposal that aims to improve how HFCs are managed and reused, setting requirements for repairing leaky equipment, rules for using reclaimed HFCs and leak detection rules for large refrigeration equipment. The two regulatory actions come after the EPA issued a final rule in July phasing down the use of HFCs by 40% below historic levels from 2024 to 2028. The Senate voted 69-27 in September last year to ratify the global Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol that calls for the phase-down of HFCs. Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Alexander SmithOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Ali Zaidi, Valerie Volcovici, Alexander Smith Organizations: United States Environmental Protection Agency, Washington , D.C, REUTERS, Rights, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, Manufacturing, White, Thomson Locations: Washington ,, Kigali, Montreal, HFCs, U.S

☆ New Top Cop at the E.P.A. Aims to Get Enforcement Back on Track
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Lisa Friedman | More About Lisa Friedman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

And last month, the E.P.A. In his first interview since his July 20 confirmation, Mr. Uhlmann said he was intent on increasing the number of administrative actions as well as the criminal and civil cases that the E.P.A. brings for violations of environmental law. intends to announce enforcement priorities, with a new emphasis on greenhouse gas emissions. The agency said it would focus on making sure that oil and gas wells, landfills and other facilities did not leak methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.

Persons: Uhlmann, ” Organizations: University of Michigan Law School Locations: Louisiana, E.P.A, America, United States

In the fiscal year 2022 through 2023, HDFC raised 784.15 billion from the debt market, higher than the 500 billion rupees a year before. It has raised 460.62 billion rupees since April this year. Mutual funds hold around 270 billion rupees of HDFC's bonds as of May 31, data from information service provider Prime Database showed. Rival LIC Housing Finance may be the biggest beneficiary of HDFC exiting the market, fund managers said. Other competitors such as ICICI Home Finance, Bajaj Housing Finance, Tata Capital Housing Finance and Shriram Housing Finance could also see an increase in demand for their debt issuances, they said.

Persons: HDFC, Raju Sharma, HFCs, Ajay Manglunia, Laukik Bagwe, Bagwe, IDBI Mutual Fund's Sharma, Dharamraj Dhutia, Dhanya Ann Thoppil Organizations: Housing Development Finance Corp, HDFC Bank, Reuters, IDBI Mutual Fund, Securities and Exchange Board of India, JM Financial, AAA, Mutual, LIC, Finance, ICICI Home Finance, Bajaj Housing Finance, Tata Capital Housing Finance, Shriram Housing Finance, Mutual Fund, IDBI Mutual, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, India, HDFC

☆ Singapore's love affair with air conditioning shows a Catch 22 of climate change
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Thankfully, Chee said, his home has five air conditioners – one in each bedroom and a larger unit in the living room. “I drank plenty of water, took cold showers and kept the air conditioning on for the entire weekend. Indeed, in this city, air conditioning has become almost a way of life. But Singapore’s love affair with air conditioning has an enormous cost. Here are some possible solutions 02:39 - Source: CNNBreaking the loopStill, experts say there are ways to break the air conditioning doom-loop.

Persons: Chee Kuan Chew, ” Chee, “, Mo Kio, Chee, Lee Kuan Yew, Edgar Su, Suhaimi Abdullah, Matthias Roth, Roth, Radhika Khosla, ” Khosla, Heng Chye Kiang, Smart, Heng Organizations: CNN, Reuters, Economic, International Energy Agency, Urban, United States Environmental Protection Agency, National University of Singapore, United Nations, Montreal Protocol, Oxford University’s Smith School of Enterprise, Environment, Bloomberg, Getty, Singapore’s National Environment Agency, NEA, ”, National University of Singapore’s School of Design Locations: Singapore, New York City, Japan, United States, ”, Kigali, Montreal, Orchard

☆ Factbox: COP27: Major players at the U.N. climate talks in Egypt
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Rachel Parsons | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Here are some of the main stakeholders and negotiating blocs engaged in the U.N. climate conference (COP27) that starts on Nov. 6 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. A diplomatic row over Taiwan led Beijing to cancel bilateral climate talks with the United States. EUROPEAN UNIONGreenhouse gas emissions from the 27-country European Union comprise about 8% of the global total, and have been trending downward for years. Negotiating as a single group at the U.N. climate talks, the EU intends to push other major emitters to raise their targets. Meanwhile, long-time climate champion King Charles III said he will skip the COP27 conference in Egypt.

☆ U.S. ratifies global treaty to curb climate-warming chemicals in air-conditioning, refrigeration
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks to the media after the 51-50 vote passed the "Inflation Reduction Act of 2022" on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S. August 7, 2022. The Senate has voted to ratify a global climate treaty that will phase down the use and production of hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, the climate-warming chemicals widely used in air-conditioning and refrigeration. Forty-eight Democrats and 21 Republicans voted in favor; four members of the Senate did not vote. The Environmental Protection Agency has said that regulatory action on such chemicals could help avoid up to 0.5 degrees Celsius of global warming by the end of the century. The U.S. joins 136 other nations and the European Union in ratifying the amendment.

☆ Senate Set to Vote on Climate Treaty Amendment Cutting HFCs in Air Conditioners
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Katy Stech Ferek | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—Senate lawmakers on Wednesday are expected to vote to ratify an industry-backed climate treaty amendment that would commit the U.S. to reducing refrigerant chemicals that contribute to climate change. The Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol treaty of 1987 would reduce the production and use of man-made hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, used in air conditioners and other appliances, which scientists say warm the planet when released into the air. The original treaty was designed to phase out chemicals that depleted the planet’s ozone layer.

☆ Senate Approves Climate Treaty Amendment Cutting HFCs in Air Conditioners
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Katy Stech Ferek | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The Senate voted to ratify an industry-backed climate treaty amendment that would commit the U.S. to reducing refrigerant chemicals that contribute to climate change. The Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol treaty of 1987 would reduce the production and use of man-made hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, used in air conditioners and other appliances, which scientists say warm the planet when released into the air. The original treaty was designed to phase out chemicals that depleted the planet’s ozone layer.

People wearing masks for protection against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) walk past the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2022. The so-called Kigali amendment calls for the phase-down of HFCs, gases used in heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) that are significantly more potent than carbon dioxide in contributing to global warming. Durwood Zaelke, president of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development that has worked on phasing out HFCs, said the amendment can provide an example for other more contentious global climate negotiations. The world's leading producers of substitutes for HFCs are in Louisiana, New Jersey, Texas, and elsewhere in the United States. The world's fastest growing markets for refrigerators and air conditioners are overseas.

CNN —The Senate ratified an international climate treaty to phase out hydrofluorocarbons – potent greenhouse gases used in air conditioning and refrigeration. In 2016, the United Nations struck an agreement known as the Kigali Amendment to the 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. The Kigali amendment is supported by business groups like the Chamber of Commerce and environmental groups like the Natural Resources Defense Council. “Today’s Senate vote was a decade in the making and a profound victory for the climate and the American economy,” said US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry. And in May, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee sent the ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Senate floor without opposition.

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