Europe is suffering from smuggling of large amounts of climate-warming refrigerant gases, primarily hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) from China and Turkey, according to a recent report released on Monday by the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA).
These gases are commonly used in industry and retail for cooling purposes and pose a significant threat to efforts against climate change.
HFCs, while not harmful to the ozone like previously banned refrigerants like CFCs, are potent greenhouse gases with a warming potential thousands of times greater than carbon dioxide. Despite commitments to reduce HFC use, law enforcement agencies across the European Union are facing challenges in tracking and intercepting illegal shipments. According to the EIA, smugglers are employing increasingly sophisticated tactics to evade detection, often utilizing routes through Turkey, Russia or Ukraine.
Easy Availability in Europe and Profit Motive
Fin Walravens, a senior campaigner at EIA, mentioned the ease with which illegal HFCs can be found in the European market, highlighting that traders are adapting their methods to evade authorities. The profitability of smuggling these gases combined with the strong demand incentivizes such activities.
The 2016 Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol commits European and other industrial nations to reduce HFC use by 85% from 2012 to 2036. However, the report indicates that the phase-downs have driven up prices, creating opportunities for smugglers to exploit the supply gap.
Walravens emphasized that it is very challenging to prove illegal activity, especially when licensed traders can exceed their quotas without easy detection.
A previous EIA investigation in 2021 estimated that illegal HFCs smuggled into Europe could constitute 20-30% of legally traded volumes, equivalent to up to 30 million tons of CO2 emissions. While the recent report did not provide a revised estimate, Walravens suggests that little has changed in that regard.
China’s Role and Global Market Resistance
China, as the world’s largest HFC producer, plays a significant role, implementing measures to penalize firms exceeding their quotas, having issued new regulations in December to address the issue. However, it does have 39 authorized manufacturers with production permits totalling the CO2 equivalent of 185 million tons this year.
Despite efforts to address the problem, enforcing chemical phase-outs remains challenging, with some governments either unable or unwilling to crack down on illegal trade. Ian Rae, a technical adviser to the Montreal Protocol from the University of Melbourne, noted that customers accustomed to older and potentially cheaper products are resistant to change, complicating efforts to transition to alternatives.
The smuggling of illegal HFCs into Europe is a major obstacle in the way of potentially achieving climate goals and highlights the need for enhanced measures and global cooperation to combat this environmental threat.
