National hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) inventories: a summary of the key findings from the first tranche of studies
This document has been developed by OzonAction as part of UN Environment’s work programme under the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC).
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are currently the fastest growing category of greenhouse gases. Synthetic chemicals used in applications such as refrigeration and air-conditioning, foams, solvents and aerosols, their use is expanding rapidly in part because they are substitutes for the ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) that are being phased out under the 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Atmospheric observations show that the volume of HFCs in the atmosphere is increasing rapidly, currently at a rate of about 10–15 per cent per year.