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United States, EPA: ban on production and import of R-22 by 2020
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proudly announced refrigerant R-22 final phasedown schedule: from 51 million pounds allowed in 2014 to 0 million pounds in 2020.
EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) announced the gradual reduction in the production and import of refrigerant R-22, which is part of a family of gases known as fluorinated greenhouse gases or F-gases with high environmental impact, until its complete removal by 2020.
Specifically, the Agency said, the production and import of refrigerant R-22 on American soil will have to decrease by 51 million pounds in 2014 to 22 million in 2015 already, reaching a total amount of 0 in 2020.
As stated by EPA, this program for the linear reduction of refrigerant R-22, among the most harmful to the atmosphere, should, however, facilitate a smooth transition to environmentally friendly refrigerant alternatives, as the new generation of refrigerant gases, natural and synthetic, which are characterized by a reduced global warming potential or GWP.
The United States regulation seems to adapt well to the European strategies in response to the stringent requirements imposed by global climate change and global warming, in order to avoid global surface temperature increase of 2°C, that could produce an irreversible situation for the planet.
In this sense, the message of EPA is loud and clear and confirms a transition already taking place: American industrial refrigeration society has plenty of time to work on refrigerant alternatives and for their better management, to organize supplies, to reach an agreement with distributors and to decide the financial and business strategies to set in support of a sustainable development plan for the future.
It is urgent to begin right now to invest in training and education of staff working with refrigerants and customers themselves, as emerged on the occasion of the Fourth Symposium on refrigerants in Dubai.
EPA, on its part, is not wasting time and, in the wake of positive developments taking place in Europe, has publicly expressed the desire to eliminate some other HCFCs with high GWP and to expand the list of refrigerants with low global warming potential.
Source: The NEWS
Specifically, the Agency said, the production and import of refrigerant R-22 on American soil will have to decrease by 51 million pounds in 2014 to 22 million in 2015 already, reaching a total amount of 0 in 2020.
As stated by EPA, this program for the linear reduction of refrigerant R-22, among the most harmful to the atmosphere, should, however, facilitate a smooth transition to environmentally friendly refrigerant alternatives, as the new generation of refrigerant gases, natural and synthetic, which are characterized by a reduced global warming potential or GWP.
The United States regulation seems to adapt well to the European strategies in response to the stringent requirements imposed by global climate change and global warming, in order to avoid global surface temperature increase of 2°C, that could produce an irreversible situation for the planet.
In this sense, the message of EPA is loud and clear and confirms a transition already taking place: American industrial refrigeration society has plenty of time to work on refrigerant alternatives and for their better management, to organize supplies, to reach an agreement with distributors and to decide the financial and business strategies to set in support of a sustainable development plan for the future.
It is urgent to begin right now to invest in training and education of staff working with refrigerants and customers themselves, as emerged on the occasion of the Fourth Symposium on refrigerants in Dubai.
EPA, on its part, is not wasting time and, in the wake of positive developments taking place in Europe, has publicly expressed the desire to eliminate some other HCFCs with high GWP and to expand the list of refrigerants with low global warming potential.
Source: The NEWS
