The Council of the European Union and the European Parliament reached a political agreement this Thursday for the progressive elimination by 2050 of fluorinated gases, used in refrigerators, air conditioners, heat pumps or fire protection equipment.
In addition to the pact on the regulation of fluorinated gases, negotiators from the European institutions reached an agreement on other regulations related to substances harmful to the ozone layer.
“Agreement! The Council of the EU and the European Parliament reach an agreement on two regulations: fluorinated gases and substances that destroy the ozone layer,” the Spanish presidency of the Council of the EU reported this Thursday on its official account. of the social network (formerly Twitter).
#TRILOGUE | Deal! @EUCouncil and @Europarl_ES reach an agreement on 2 regulations:
➡️ fluorinated gases
➡️ substances that deplete the ozone layerThe new standards further reduce their emissions into the atmosphere and contribute to limiting the increase in global temperature.
https://t.co/MWPEQLzvtp pic.twitter.com/FHS58FWzma
– Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU (@eu2023es) October 5, 2023
These standards, once officially ratified by both institutions, “will further reduce emissions into the atmosphere and will contribute to limiting the increase in global temperatures,” stated the Spanish presidency.
Specifically, the negotiators agreed to strengthen the bans on the marketing of products containing hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) or fluorinated gases in the European market, accelerate the adoption of more climate-friendly solutions and offer guarantees to manufacturers and investors.
The agreement provides for a goal of zero hydrofluorocarbons by 2050, with a progressive reduction in consumption between 2024 and 2049, highlighted a statement from the European Parliament, which is considered “the father” of this requirement.
“We have reached an ambitious agreement that will put an end to fluorinated greenhouse gases. This is essential, not only because these gases are extremely harmful to the climate, but also because we bring clarity to companies and, therefore, security to investments,” said the European Parliament’s negotiator, German environmentalist MEP Bas Eickhout.
The agreement establishes specific dates for the gradual elimination of the use of fluorinated gases in sectors where it is technically and economically viable to move to alternatives that do not use fluorinated gases, such as domestic refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pumps.
The agreement also establishes strict conditions and deadlines for the use of fluorinated gases with a high global warming potential for servicing or maintaining various types of equipment.
In Eickhout’s opinion, European companies are already at the forefront of developing clean alternatives to fluorinated gases and therefore the future law “will be beneficial for the climate and the European economy.”
Fluorinated greenhouse gases, which include hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride and nitrogen trifluoride, are used in common household appliances such as refrigerators, air conditioners, heat pumps, fire and fire protection equipment, foams and sprays.
These gases are regulated by the Paris Agreement, along with CO2, methane and nitrous oxide, and account for around 2.5% of EU greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Source: TSF
