Alarming findings - Emissions of banned ozone-depleting chemicals on the rise

A new study reveals an alarming rise in emissions of five ozone-depleting substances from 2010 to 2020, despite their production for most applications being banned by the Montreal Protocol. The release of these five chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) stems in part from leakage during the production of ozone-friendly CFC alternatives. Although these incidental or transient emissions are technically permitted under the Montreal Protocol, they are at odds with the broader objective of the agreement and the observed increase is cause for concern. "We're paying attention to these emissions now because of the success of the Montreal Protocol," says Luke Western, lead author of the paper and a researcher at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Global Monitoring Laboratory and the University of Bristol. CFC emissions from more widespread uses that are now banned have fallen to such low levels that CFC emissions from previously minor sources are now on our radar.” A study by an international team of scientists from NOAA, University of Bristol , Empa, CSIRO, University of East Anglia, University of California San Diego, University of Colorado, Boulder and Forschungszentrum Jülich was recently published in a journal Nature Geoscience. No immediate threat to the ozone layer - but a significant greenhouse effect. According to researchers, emissions from these freons currently do not significantly threaten ozone restoration. However, at the current rate of increase, they could become a significant contributor to the total emissions of ozone-depleting chemicals. Because they are strong greenhouse gases, they have an impact on the climate: their combined emissions equal the CO2 emissions in 2020 for a country as small as Switzerland. This is equal to about one percent of total United States greenhouse gas emissions, or 1/1,000th of all global greenhouse gas emissions. (SciTechDaily)