CFC Ban may have Extreme Unintended Consequences

In the 1970's, scientists suspected that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) contributed to the destruction of the ozone layer. Governments signed the Montreal Protocol in 1987. The worldwide ban on these chemicals was successful in large part due to the availability of a replacement chemical, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Now it seems we need a replacement for the replacement.

The problem is that HFCs act like "super" greenhouse gases, and according to the EPA they already account for about 2 percent of the climate-warming power of U.S. emissions.

"Pound for pound, they're much more powerful than CO2, you know -- hundreds
or thousands of times more powerful," said NOAA physicist [David] Fahey.

Exactly how powerful depends on the makeup of the gases. One, common in
fridges and auto air conditioners, lasts 12 to 14 years in the atmosphere and
has 1,430 times the global warming impact of carbon dioxide. Another has a
52-year life and 4,470 times the power

Chemicals That Eased One Woe Worsen Another by (David A. Fahrenthold, Washington Post, July 20, 2009)