US announces rule to slash powerful planet-warming gas by nearly 80%

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced a new rule to slash emissions of hydrofluorocarbons, a powerful planet-warming gas used in air conditioning, refrigeration, foam production, and aerosols, by nearly 80%. This effort is part of a multi-year international process, led by the United Nations, to phase out the use of HFCs by the end of this decade.

The EPA’s rule will reduce HFC emissions by almost 80 percent over the next 15 years compared to 2018 levels. This will be achieved by limiting the production and consumption of these gases and creating incentives for companies to develop more climate-friendly alternatives. The EPA projects the rule could reduce HFC emissions by the equivalent of more than 160 million cars by 2050 and prevent up to 0.4 degrees of warming.

The rule announced today is the result of a years-long effort by the federal government to address mounting concern about the impact of HFCs on the planet’s climate. The Obama-era EPA had already begun working on a HFC rule before the Trump administration put a hold on the effort, but the agency resurrected the process in 2018. The Biden administration has since thrown its full support behind the regulation, as part of its broader agenda to tackle the climate crisis.