More than a dozen big-name US companies have agreed, in accordance with an Obama administration push announced Tuesday, to cut back on use of a popular coolant that contributes to global warming by emitting a potent greenhouse gas.
The chemicals, called hydrofluorocarbons or HFCs, are factory-made gases used mainly in refrigeration and air conditioning. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is working with 19 major industries and educating them about better practices - such as preventing leakage - and suggesting alternatives. All of them agreed to reduce its use in federal buildings, approve more climate-friendly alternatives and fund research to develop next-generation cooling technologies.
While HFCs make up only a small portion of heat-trapping greenhouse gases, they are major contributors to climate change - it's nearly 10,000 times as potent as carbon dioxide.
Without any action by industry and government, HFC emissions are expected to nearly double by 2020 and triple by 2030.
"The good progress we are making on restoring the earth's ozone layer would not have been possible without a strong public-private partnership," EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said in a news release. "By working together again, we can tackle the challenges of climate change."
According to the Obama administration, these efforts are designed to reduce HFCs, especially R-134a, causing a drop in greenhouse gases by 1.5 percent from 2010 levels. That is the equivalent of removing about 15 million vehicles from US highways, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Companies leading the way towards a greener environment include the chemical manufacturer DuPont and some of the biggest users of refrigerants such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Red Bull, as well as the retailers Target and Kroger.
Among the steps taken are efforts to reduce coolant leakage, which, if applied nationwide to all supermarkets, could prevent the emission of 27 million metric tons of climate-changing carbon dioxide per year, while also saving the establishments $100 million in the process.
Tuesday's announcement is also designed to "build momentum for an amendment to the Montreal Protocol to phase down the global production and consumption of HFCs," the White House said.
The efforts are part of the EPA's GreenChill program, which has been active since 2007 promoting greener solutions to keeping food and people cool.