Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), commonly used as refrigerants, are known to contribute to global warming and are being phased out in the European Union at an accelerated pace. However, tightening regulations have led to rising prices, and criminals have sensed an opportunity. The British environmental organization, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), released its findings in April, finding that criminals, driven by high profits, are smuggling large quantities of refrigerants from China and Turkey into Europe, exacerbating the climate crisis.
HFCs are primarily used in refrigeration equipment, electronics cleaning, and other fields. While they don't damage the ozone layer, they have a high global warming potential (GWP) and can accelerate global warming. Consequently, Europe and other industrialized nations have pledged to reduce HFC usage by 85% by 2036 compared to 2012 levels. However, these products continue to circulate in the market.
"It's not difficult to find illegal HFCs on the European market," Fin Walravens, a senior climate specialist at the Environmental Investigation Agency, told Euractiv. "The biggest profits can be made by successfully smuggling the most polluting and dirty gases." He said the illegal trade in HFCs not only exacerbates climate change but also involves significant tax evasion.
Three years ago, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) published an investigative report exposing the smuggling of illegal HFCs into the EU through Romania. An updated report, "More Chilling Than Ever," published in April of this year, further exposed the smuggling routes. Smugglers primarily source HFCs from Turkey and China, enter the EU through countries like Bulgaria, and then sell them to Greece, Germany, France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain.
The EIA found that traffickers have become more sophisticated, using less banned disposable cylinders or disguising HFCs as environmentally friendly refrigerants (HFOs) to evade detection.
The EU's revised fluorinated greenhouse gas regulation, which came into effect in March, provides law enforcement agencies with more tools to combat illegal trade. However, Walravens noted that as the EU accelerates its phase-out of HFCs, demand for non-HFCs is likely to rise again, necessitating swift EU coordination and cooperation, as well as proactive enforcement, to combat climate crime.
Ian Rae, former technical advisor to the Montreal Protocol and honorary professor at the University of Melbourne, said that even if environmentally friendly alternatives are available, it is not easy to phase out old chemicals. Some customers are very satisfied with the old products, and new products may be more expensive, so they are reluctant to use them.
References：
*Environmental Investigation Agency (April 8, 2024), Illegal smuggling of refrigerant gases into Europe continues as the climate crisis worsens
*Environmental Investigation Agency (April 8, 2024), More Chilling Than Ever – Tackling Europe’s ongoing illegal trade in HFC climate super pollutants
*euractiv（2024.4.8），Climate-warming gases being smuggled into Europe, investigation says
*Ministry of Environment (November 21, 2023), actively mitigating global warming, the Ministry of Environment announced the draft law on the management of hydrofluorocarbons
Source: Environmental Information Centre
