White House Partners with Industry to Tackle Greenhouse Gas

The White House on Tuesday announced steps to tackle a potent greenhouse gas used in refrigeration and air conditioning, of which the United States is the world's largest producer, a week ahead of a major UN summit focused on addressing climate change.

The Obama administration unveiled a batch of voluntary private sector commitments and executive actions to phase out the use of Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which would result in the equivalent reduction of 700 million tonnes of carbon dioxide through 2025.

Industry leaders from companies such as Coca Cola, Dupont, True Manufacturing, and Honeywell attended an event at the White House on Tuesday where they pledged to invest in the next generation of HFC alternatives and to adopt more climate-friendly technologies.

HFCs are factory gases that were used to replace ozone-depleting substances in air conditioning, insulation and refrigeration.  Support is now growing to phase them out under the U.N.'s Montreal Protocol.

They are 10,000 times more potent than the most prevalent greenhouse gas carbon dioxide and are growing at a rate of up to 15 percent per year.

"Today’s commitments and actions demonstrate significant U.S. leadership in advance of the United Nations Climate Summit next week and build on progress made earlier in the Administration," the White House Council on Environmental Quality said in a statement.

They will also help build momentum for an amendment to the Montreal Protocol to phase down the use of HFCs.

Additional announcements on HFCs are expected to be announced at the UN Secretary General’s Climate Summit in New York City on Sept. 23, according to the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development.

White House Partners with Industry to Tackle Greenhouse Gas