The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced a new rule on Thursday that would slash emissions of highly potent planet-warming gases from industrial refrigeration systems by nearly 80%. The rule, the most stringent of its kind, would reduce emissions of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) from commercial and industrial refrigeration and air-conditioning systems by 79% over the next 15 years. The rule is designed to cut HFCs, which are thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere. The aim is to reduce HFC emissions by the equivalent of 5.4 gigatons of carbon dioxide over that period.The move is part of the Trump administration’s push to reduce US greenhouse gas emissions from the power and oil and gas sectors. The new rule will also bring the US into compliance with the Montreal Protocol, an international agreement that seeks to phase out HFCs worldwide. The use of HFCs in industrial cooling and air-conditioning systems is growing rapidly worldwide, releasing huge amounts of the potent greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. The rule, which goes into effect later this year, is widely seen as a positive step in reducing HFC emissions and curbing climate change.
