About UsStaffPartners & FundersCareersDonate
Simulators & Science
En-ROADSC-ROADSResearch & Insights
Ambassador Program
About the ProgramBecome an AmbassadorMeet our Ambassadors
Experiences
En-ROADS Climate WorkshopClimate Action Simulation GameWorld Climate Simulation GameEn-ROADS Guided AssignmentJoin an Event
Other Programs
MultisolvingSystems ThinkingClimate AnalysisFood Systems
Trainings
En-ROADS TrainingC-ROADS TrainingSystems Thinking Training
Events
Event & Webinar ScheduleContact an AmbassadorRun an Event YourselfRegister Your Event
NewsVideosPress
Frequently Asked QuestionsEn-ROADS ResourcesC-ROADS ResourcesContact Us

F-Gases Matter To Climate Success

By Climate Interactive
July 29, 2024

F-gases matter! Some of the most potent greenhouse gases may be lurking in your home. Fluorinated gases (F-gases), found in refrigerators, air conditioners, and aerosols, are far more harmful to the climate than you might think.

Alongside tackling carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, addressing these pollutants can make the difference between staying below and overshooting the critical 2°C Paris Agreement global temperature limit. Action on F-gases requires policies that promote less harmful alternatives, control leaks, reuse products, and ensure the destruction of gases at the end of their lifecycle.

Scroll to see the pathways and strategies that can curb F-gas emissions in the En-ROADS simulator from Climate Interactive and MIT Sloan.

Some F-gases, such as CFCs and HCFCs, have been declining since they were banned by the Montreal Protocol in 1987 to help repair the ozone hole.
However, HFCs were developed to replace them. Other F-gases, like PFCs and SF6, are also a concern.
On our current course, these emissions could increase more than 60% by 2100 from today’s levels if we don't take action.
Updates to the Montreal Protocol in 2016 set targets to phase out HFCs, and now countries need to act on the agreement to cut these growing emissions.
We can stop leaks and reuse the F-gases in existing equipment to minimize the need for new production.
We can shift to alternatives with a lower climate impact, such as ammonia or hydrocarbons as refrigerants.
We can capture and destroy F‑gases in stockpiles and obsolete equipment (e.g., refrigerators or A/Cs).
We can boost energy efficiency in buildings through better insulation to reduce the need for cooling.
Move the sliders to see the impact of these policies, then scroll down to read more.

F-Gases Play a Critical Role in the Emissions Puzzle

F-gases have a global warming potential that can be thousands of times greater than CO2, making their impact on climate change significant, even though they are released in very small amounts relative to CO2. If the world successfully reduces only CO2 emissions from fossil fuels and land use, future emissions would predominantly come from non-CO2 gases, which include F-gases and other pollutants.

For context, view the global sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the graph below.

At our current rate, fossil fuel CO2 and land use CO2 would continue to account for over 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

See the thick dark gray and green bands in the graph.
We can significantly cut fossil fuel CO2 emissions and lower future temperatures by taxing fossil fuels and boosting clean energy with renewables subsidies, electrification, and energy efficiency.
We can protect forests and reduce bioenergy use to help lower land use CO2 as well.
But closing the gap to 2°C also requires targeting the non-CO2 gases. Without action, they become the major climate pollutants later in the century!
Those other gases are:
  • methane (CH4)
  • nitrous oxide (N2O)
  • F‑gases(HFCs, PFCs, and SF6)
We can reduce CH4 and N2O by implementing policies across the agricultural, energy, industry, and waste sectors.
And finally, by reducing F‑gas emissions, we can stay below the Paris Agreement temperature limit of 2°C.
Move the slider to see the importance of reducing F‑gas emissions to get below 2°C.

Some of the most promising policy actions in the world that could help deliver upon this potential climate win are the implementation of the international Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol and the EU 2014 F-gas Regulation. These initiatives aim to reduce HFCs through measures such as a quota system, leak management, and capped production.

Overall, reducing F-gas emissions matter to climate success. Every tenth of a degree reduces the severity of climate impacts. We can do it by adopting best practices to prevent leaks, reusing F-gases rather than treating them as single-use, finding alternatives, and properly destroying the F-gases in abandoned equipment and stockpiles. And when we couple these savvy policies with others, can avoid the worst of the climate crisis and ensure a safer climate future.

Epilogue

The En-ROADS simulator is running behind the scenes of this article every time you move a slider. If you would like to change the assumptions and test these and other climate policies yourself, access the full model online at en-roads.org.

To understand more about F-gases in En-ROADS, review the FAQ article on the topic and/or take the training course on the use of En-ROADS.

If you have any feedback about this article, please fill out this form or contact us if you would like to partner and engage further.