Commission proposes two new regulations to further reduce GHG emissions

The European Commission has proposed two new Regulations to more tightly control fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases) and ozone-depleting substances (ODS). The adoption of these regulations would represent a significant step towards limiting global temperature rise in line with the Paris Agreement.

In particular, the F-gas proposal will also contribute to reducing emissions by at least 55 per cent by 2030 and making Europe climate-neutral by 2050. And both proposals together could bring about a total reduction in the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) of 490 Mt CO2 equivalent by 2050. For comparison, this is slightly higher than the total annual greenhouse gas emissions of France in 2019.

“For decades the European Union has had the world’s most ambitious policy on fluorinated gases and Ozone Depleting Substances,” said Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal. “While existing laws have been successful, science urges us to go further and faster now. Making climate-friendly technologies more widely available will help us reach the EU’s long-term climate goals and encourage countries outside Europe to reduce their F-gas and use of Ozone Depleting Substances too.”

F-gases and ODS are highly potent, human-made greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming when released into the atmosphere, often several thousand times stronger than CO2. ODS damage the ozone layer that protects the Earth against dangerous ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

Both types of substance groups have or are used to have practical applications in everyday life, for example in refrigeration, air conditioning, insulation, fire protection, power lines and as aerosol propellants.

While existing EU legislation has already limited the use and emissions of these gases significantly, the regulations proposed today will reduce emissions even further and provide incentives to use climate-friendly alternatives, CEE writes.