Australia 'risks being dumping ground' for cars with greenhouse gas 1,400 times more potent than CO2

(The Guardian, 8 Dec 2019) Industry groups call for ban on HFC-134a refrigerant in car air-conditioning, already banned in the EU and US.

Australia is at risk of becoming a dumping ground for cars pre-charged with a greenhouse gas 1,400 times more potent than carbon dioxide, industry groups warn.

The culprit is refrigerant used in car air-conditioning systems known as HFC-134a, a gas first introduced to replace ozone-depleting gases that were phased out in the 90s.

Since then, HFC-134a has been found to be a potent greenhouse gas, a discovery which has seen it banned in the EU and the US thanks the widespread availability of an alternative gas, HFO-1234yf.

HFO-1234yf has no impact on the environment as a greenhouse gas, but is slightly more flammable under very specific circumstances.

Though Australia was an early and enthusiastic adopter of international obligations such as the Montreal Protocol, which phased out ozone-depleting gases, it has yet to extend these regulations to include a ban on HFC-134a and similar gases with a high global warming potential.

Instead the Australian government has maintained the status quo, relying on existing regulations under the Montreal Protocol to phase out the old stock of gas by the middle of next decade and the assumption that importing into the country new cars with the latest technology will naturally reduce use of the gas.

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The Guardian, 8 Dec 2019: Australia 'risks being dumping ground' for cars with greenhouse gas 1,400 times more potent than CO2