As the Montreal Protocol drew to a close last week, officials sought help to trace the source of ‘rogue’ CFC 11 emissions damaging the ozone layer, setting back decades of healing. The Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) of the protocol – an international treaty to protect the ozone layer by phasing out production of substances harmful to it – questioned Chinese authorities about foam manufacturing companies in rural China, which many suspect are the primary, if not sole, source of the emissions.
CFC or chlorofluorocarbons were commonly used as refrigerants, propellants and solvents.
After the phasing out process had begun, they were replaced by hydrofluorocarbons, which do not harm the ozone layer.
According to Nature, while Chinese delegates at the meeting said the issue had been brought to the attention of Premier Xi Jingping, they were “reluctant to concede any serious wrongdoings on the part of Chinese companies, or government negligence in their oversight”. Officials are still unsure about the exact source, quantity or nature of the emissions.
Officials are likely to maintain a close a watch on atmospheric data from South and East Asia. This will help pinpoint the source of emissions and the Montreal Protocol’s scientific assessment panel will gather the most recent data from the atmospheric monitoring stations in the region, including those of South Korea and Japan.
Nature wanted the governments to share the data required for further analysis. Governments could also share information on commercial entities and customs, which would help locate the emissions.
Whether the Montreal Protocol can persuade the governments into sharing the data will be a litmus test of its strength.
25% increase in emissions
The spike in emissions has been reported for at least four years now. According to a Washington Post report, there has been a 25% increase in CFC-11 emissions since 2012. Researchers said that the spike was not related to past CFC-11 production and suggests that there is unreported new production.
Speaking to the Washington Post, former NASA Robert Watson – who studied ozone depletion in the 1980s – said, “It is not clear why any country would want to start to produce, and inadvertently release, CFC-11, when cost-effective substitutes have been available for a long while.”
Earlier this month, Ars Technica reported that the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) – a UK-based NGO – had found a number of Chinese companies that were responsible for the emissions. According to the report, EIA was able to identify numerous companies who were advertising sales of CFC-11 through a simple Google search. Apart from its use as a refrigerant and propellant, CFC-11 can also be used to inflate foam insulation, Manufacturers of foam insulation were the culprits behind the new emissions, the EIA said.
While the EIA contacted 25 Chinese companies manufacturing foam insulation, 21 responded. Of those, 18 said they used CFC-11. The companies made it known that almost every foam insulation manufacturer – apart from the largest companies – were likely using CFC-11 to inflate the foam.
The report was also able to identify eight suppliers of CFC-11. When contacted by the EIA, the producers of the chemical said the legal alternatives were harder and more expensive to produce.
Bypassing customs inspection
While most of the produced CFC-11 is sold to Chinese foam insulation companies, some manufacturers revealed that the chemical was also being exported. A manufacturer explained that to bypass customs inspection, they “build up a container for four barrels of [white agent], and seal it carefully. Nobody at the custom would open it up. Seriously, how can anyone do inspections on that? We also spread putty on those containers to make it really messy”. Because the chemical is in a mix and is hard to test for, manufacturers simply label it as the legal alternative and get away with it.
The report recommended that the Chinese government crackdown on the illegal production of CFC-11 and conduct a nation-wide investigation to identify all manufacturers. It also wanted the members of the Montreal Protocol to procure atmospheric data from the respective governments to pinpoint the source of production, apart from implementing measures to ensure that there is no export or import of the banned substance.
CFC-11 can last up to 50 years in the atmosphere once it is released. In Earth’s stratosphere, some nine to 18 miles above the surface, it is destroyed and releases chlorine molecules, which engage in a string of reactions that destroy the ozone layer. The depletion of the layer weakens protection from ultraviolet radiation. CFC-11 is also a greenhouse gas, contributing to global warming.