2.HFCs were developed in the 1990s as substitutes for ozone-depleting substances such as chloroflorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochloroflourocarbons (HCFCs). While HFCs do not deplete the ozone layer, they are powerful greenhouse gases (GHGs). The potency of gases in impacting upon climate change is measured by their Global Warming Potential (GWP). It compares the amount of heat trapped by a certain mass of the gas to the amount of heat trapped by a similar mass of CO2, where CO2 has a value of one. A gas which traps twice as much heat as CO2 would have a GWP of 2, for example. HFCs and F-gases more generally, often have a GWP several thousand times more powerful than CO2 and can persist in the atmosphere for many years after they have been released

3.Policy has focused on introducing lower GWP alternatives. However, there are some concerns with some of the lower GWP F-gas alternatives. Some, such as carbon dioxide (GPW 1), have to be used and stored at higher pressure. This requires more energy, with the possibility that reductions in direct emissions can be offset or exceeded by indirect energy emissions. Others, such as propane and butane are highly flammable, while Hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) are mildly flammable, which either rule out their use or require technicians to oversee their use and storage. Alternatives, such as ammonia, are toxic and require special care. In some cases, the cost of producing or acquiring the alternative substance can be a barrier along with those of installation, retrofitting, maintenance and (re)training.

F-gases and Climate Change

4.F-gases are currently released in small amounts, mainly through leakages from appliances, but reducing them can make an important contribution to reducing global warming. The United Nations Environment Programme states that international efforts to reduce HFCs (i.e. the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol), are expected to avoid up to 0.5? Celsius warming by the end of the century. The Kigali amendment is also significant because it is achievable and supported by stakeholders including industry. The 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change contains a commitment to limit global temperature rises to no more than 2?C, and pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase ambitions to no more than 1.5?C above pre-industrial levels. This means reductions in F-gases are equal to the difference between the Paris Agreement?s agreed target of reducing global temperature rises across this century by 2?Celsius and the more ambitious target of 1. 5?, which nations are endeavouring to meet, and which would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change. The difference between 1.5?C and 2.0?C is thought to mean the difference between 10cm of global sea level rises by 2100, and is ?likely to be decisive for the future of coral reefs?.

5.The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) estimate that F-gases accounted for about 3% of overall UK GHG emissions in 2015. However, there has been increasing demand for their use, especially in air conditioning and refrigeration, in part due to increases in global temperatures. They are tracked in the UK by the CCC as part of UK efforts to reduce GHG emissions and deliver on UK commitments made under the Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement.

What action is being taken to address F-gases?

When it was realised by scientists that F-gases were powerful GHGs, steps were taken to reduce them by industry, governments and international organisations. This took the form of using industrial abatement technologies during the 1990s to reduce emissions from one type of F-gas—halocarbons. However, after cuts to emissions of halocarbons in the late 1990s, F-gas emissions began to increase again, mainly due to increased demand for HFC refrigerants.

EU action on F-gases

7.After action on reducing halocarbons, efforts then focused on reducing other F-gases, especially HFCs. The EU has done this through two main routes. First, through two regulations: the 2006 F-Gas Regulation ((EU) 842/2006) and the 2014 F-Gas Regulation ((EU) 517/2014) and, secondly, the 2006 Mobile Air Conditioning (MAC) Directive. The MAC Directive introduced a phasing out of high GWP refrigerants (e.g. R134a) in cars and light vans and stipulates that the recovery of F-gases from such vehicles must be carried out by trained and certified persons.

8.The 2006 F-gas Regulation introduced several measures, such as:

?  labelling of equipment containing F-gases;

?  training and certification for those handling F-gases; improvements in leakage reduction;

?  recovery of unused F-gases from appliances;

?  various restrictions on the use and marketing of F-gases where better alternatives were available.

9.The first F-gas Regulation and related regulations were implemented in the UK by the Flourinated Greenhouse Gases Regulations 2008.

10.The 2014 F-gas Regulation, which came into effect in January 2015, aims to cut EU F-gas emissions by two-thirds by 2030. It sought to do this with a market-based approach with progressive cuts to HFCs through a quota system run by the European Environment Agency. Compliance is enforced by Member States. In England, this is the responsibility of the Environment Agency, in Scotland the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, in Wales Natural Resources Wales, and in Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. The intention was to drive up the costs of high GWP HFCs, especially refrigerants, encouraging conversion to cheaper low GWP alternatives and innovation where alternatives are not currently available. The 2014 F-gas Regulation includes several exemptions: metered dose asthma inhalers; military equipment; appliances that require an evaporation point below 50C. The 2014 F-gas Regulation will be reviewed by the European Commission in 2022. The 2014 F-gas Regulation was implemented in the UK by the Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases Regulations 2015, which came into force in March 2015.

International action on F-gases

In 1987, UN countries agreed the adoption of the Montreal Protocol which seeks to limit the abundance of ozone depleting substances in the atmosphere. The Protocol came into force on 1st January 1989. It has been amended several times as new scientific evidence and information has supported the acceleration of further steps to reduce such substances in the atmosphere. In December 2016, UN countries agreed the adoption of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. This amendment, rather than focusing on ozone depleting substances, reflected scientific evidence that indicated that HFCs were powerful greenhouse gases. It seeks to phase down the use of HFCs globally by 80 to 85 percent by 2047, with different pathways identified for developed and developing countries. The main aspects of the Montreal Protocol and the Kigali Amendment are set out in Box 3 below.

The Montreal Protocol and the Kigali Amendment

The Montreal Protocol, the international treaty under which the Kigali Amendment sits, came into force in 1989 and is already one of the most successful treaties ever agreed, having successfully phased out 98% of ozone depleting substances – including chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons. As a result, the ozone layer is showing the first signs of recovery.

The Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which was agreed by UN countries in December 2016, extends targets to hydro-fluorocarbon greenhouse gases (HFCs). It commits nations to reducing HFCs by 85% between 2019 and 2036. To reach this target, developed countries agreed to an 85% phase-down between 2019 and 2036; most developing countries agreed to 80% between 2024 and 2045; and ten developing countries (India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, The United Arab Emirates, Iran and Iraq) agreed to 85% between 2028 and 2047. The exact phasing of this is set out below:

12.In July 2017, the European Council confirmed that it had adopted the Amendment on behalf of the EU and announced that it would come into effect on 1 January 2019. In September 2017, the UK Government laid a Treaty (Cm 9496) in Parliament to enable UK ratification of the Amendment.

13.The Montreal Protocol and Kigali Amendment includes agreements by rich countries to help finance the transition of poor countries to alternative safer products. The UK, for instance, contributes £9m a year though its Official Development Assistance budget to the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol, which helps developing countries finance projects to help their businesses and consumers switch to alternatives to ozone depleting substances and HFCs.36 In some respects, the Kigali Amendment adopts a similar phase-down approach to the EU?s. However, the EU regulation is more ambitious up until 2034, is more prescriptive in terms of mechanisms for achieving its targets (i.e. the Quota System), and covers all HFCs (unlike Kigali, does not deal with issues such as equipment, certification, company registration, standards or training related to F-gases, and which does not cover F-gases such as hydrofluoroolefins).

Need to promote awareness of Ozone layer and how to protect it

I have realised that many people (young and adults) are not aware of the ozone layer, it?s importance and ways to protect it.  We must do whataver we can , as environment ambassadors, to spread the awareness and to protect the layer.

I remember few years ago, how our youth community group ?Students for the Earth? had commemorated this day through an online event by one of our members. The event invited poster entries, video entries and any form of art on this topic of ?Ozone layer depletion and its protection?. I would like to give full credit to Afra Ashique who was behind organising this event, am sharing here few posters and the links below of the videos by some of the participants in this event.

The aim of the competition was to create awareness among students about the danger of ozone layer depletion, its effects and how to prevent the destruction of ozone layer. Every spring, a hole as big as the USA develops in the ozone layer over Antarctica, in the South Pole. A smaller hole develops each year over the Arctic, at the North Pole. And there are signs that the ozone layer is getting thinner all over the planet. Scientists have discovered that the ozone hole over Antarctica started in 1979, and that the ozone layer generally started to get thin in the early 1980s.The loss of the ozone layer occurs when more ozone is being destroyed than nature is creating. Students came to know about the effects of CFCS and how it accelerates the loss of ozone molecules.

Here are the links to some of the best videos made by students as a part of this competition:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ab_bCK2s5VU&feature=em-

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wXMDViJxMpw&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6eVkMunsc4&feature=youtu.be

http://youtu.be/Q3MDXfoCRSc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvYtUHG6Pic

Sources & References:

http://web.unep.org/ozonaction/news/2018-international-day-preservation-ozone-layer

https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/ozone_en

https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/469/46904.htm

https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/469/46904.htm

https://tunza.eco-generation.org/ambassadorReportView.jsp?viewID=9766&searchType=content&searchName=ozone&pageNumber=34

https://www.nasa.gov/larc/world-ozone-day-educational-activities/

https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/research/ozone-uv/ozone-depletion

http://opil.ouplaw.com/view/10.1093/law:epil/9780199231690/law-9780199231690-e1767

European Environment Agency