Northern China responsible for global rise in ozone-depleting CFC emissions, study says
- Researchers say 40 to 60 per cent of global increase in levels of prohibited CFCs can be laid at the door of industries in Shandong and Hebei provinces
China was responsible for much of the increase in illegal ozone-depleting substances (ODS) since 2013, according to a study published by Nature on Thursday.
About 40 to 60 per cent of the global rise in the prohibited refrigerant trichlorofluoromethane (CFC-11) since 2013 could be attributed to the industrial northern provinces of Shandong and Hebei, researchers from Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and England’s University of Bristol said.
After studying data from South Korea and Japan, they estimated CFC-11 emissions from the eastern mainland during the 2014-17 period were about 7 million kilograms per year higher than in the years 2008 to 2012.
The Ministry of Ecology and Environment did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
CFC-11, once used in refrigerators and air conditioners, is one of the chemicals banned under the Montreal Protocol, a treaty to protect the Earth’s ozone layer by phasing out all CFC production by 2010. CFC-11 levels in the atmosphere declined substantially until 2012 but have since risen.