Refrigerators are a normal part of our lives. Similarly, 86 percent of homes in America have air conditioning. The link between these two is the refrigerant used, primarily hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). HFCs became the dominant coolant following the 1987 Montreal Protocol, a global agreement that phased out the prevalent chemical refrigerants in use at that time — ones that were destroying the planet’s ozone layer.
Although HFCs have no deleterious effect on the ozone layer, they warm the atmosphere 1,000-9,000 times more than carbon dioxide, depending on the exact chemical composition. Even though they make up only a small percentage of greenhouse gases, the powerful heat-trapping properties of HFCs created the urgency that led to an agreement last October to replace them.
After seven years of turbulent negotiations, most of the world’s nations agreed to a compromise amendment to the Montreal accord: The richest countries will freeze production and consumption of HFCs by 2018; much of the rest of the world, including China, Brazil and all of Africa, will do the same by 2024; and a few of the world’s hottest countries, including India, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, will have the most lenient schedule, with a target date of 2028.