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Refrigerants: The Invisible Opportunity
Refrigerants are intense greenhouse gases used in cooling and refrigeration systems everywhere. Many of the refrigerants in use today are an invisible form of air pollution with enormous global warming potential, and they will be around for years to come. Project Drawdown identifies refrigerant management as a top global opportunity for greenhouse gas reduction.
We help communities learn how to purchase, maintain and dispose of appliances by sharing our research, tools, and templates.
We’re advocating for state policies and legislation for a quick phase-in of safer refrigerants and making polluters and manufacturers responsible for preventing emissions. We’re focusing attention where it matters most — on supermarkets — the most visible large sources of leaks — and on providing incentive payments for captured refrigerants.
Many of the refrigerants in use today are powerful greenhouse gases, an invisible source of air pollution with enormous global warming potential. Used in cooling and refrigeration systems everywhere, even as the most damaging types are phased out, they will remain in use for years to come. Managing refrigerants right is a key opportunity to curb climate changing emissions. It is one of the highest priority actions identified by Project Drawdown.
The Three Pillars of Refrigerant Management
ONE: Transition to New Refrigerants Beyond giving regulatory approval to new, climate-friendly refrigerants and phasing out the old ones, incentivizing the use of new refrigerants would benefit everyone by hastening their adoption.
TWO: Enhance Leak Monitoring The larger, older and more complex a refrigeration or cooling system is, the more likely it is the system will leak. Effective system monitoring and leak sequestration is an important investment that all businesses and institutions should be making and public policies should be supporting.
THREE: Prevent End-of-Life Emissions Systems need to be in place to capture refrigerants from appliances and equipment at the end of life so they will be properly reclaimed or destroyed. We need to become better informed about properly recycling the refrigerants in appliances, like window air conditioners and refrigerators, and to establish Incentives and policies so that HVAC technicians will put the time and effort into properly capturing used refrigerants from central air systems and institutional refrigeration/chilling systems.
Leaking Havoc: Exposing Your Supermarket’s Invisible Climate Pollution. –
Vimeo by Eia-Global.org [Environmental Investigation Agency]
Watch the March 19, 2021 Leaking Havoc webinar sponsored by Sustainable Hudson Valley , with presenters Christina Starr and Kathrene Garcia from the Environmental Investigation Agency.
New Yorkers for Cool Refrigerant Management
We’re a volunteer organization that helps consumers and local and state governments make better decisions about refrigerants. As a regional group we collaborate in researching and exploring issues and solutions. We craft responses to local problems within our own communities that can be broadly replicated and work with local and state officials to help shape policy.
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We welcome participation and contributions from local community groups, municipal staff, non-profits, and technicians and professionals from all industries involved in refrigerant management. We meet online every other Wednesday to collaborate and share information.
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