Despite being banned, CFCs continue to threaten the ozone layer

pollution that persists. Although banned more than 35 years ago, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), known for their harmful effects on the ozone layer, reached record levels in 2020. study (link in english) Posted Monday, April 3. CFCs are a powerful greenhouse gas that traps heat up to 10,000 times more effectively than carbon dioxide, a major contributor to global warming, according to data from the Global Carbon Project.

They were widely used as refrigerants and in aerosols in the 1970s and 1980s, and were finally banned in 1987 during the Montreal Protocol, after a hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica was discovered as a result of their use. But why then such insistence today? According to the study published in the journal Natural Earth SciencesThis recent increase in CFCs is likely due to leaks during the production of chemicals to replace CFCs, including HFCs.

increased risk of global warming

The Montreal Convention limits releases of ozone-depleting substances, but does not prohibit their use in the production of other chemicals as raw materials or by-products. These CFC alternatives are scheduled to be phased out over the next three decades under the 1987 treaty amendment. Unreported uses may also be behind this surge.

According to Luke Western, a researcher at the University of Bristol and co-author of the study, these emissions have so far had a modest impact on the ozone layer. But if the rapid upward trend in CFCs continues, their impact on the ozone layer and global warming will increase. Therefore, the researchers classify their findings as:“early warning”.