Hydrofluorocarbons, Climate, and Health — Moving the Montreal Protocol beyond Ozone-Layer Recovery

This perspective article explores how the Montreal Protocol, originally established to halt ozone depletion from chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), has expanded into a climate-change tool with the phaseout of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). It traces the environmental and health legacy of CFCs—including long-term skin cancer risks—and how HFCs, though ozone-friendly, are potent greenhouse gases contributing to global warming. The article highlights the Kigali Amendment, contrasting the phasedown schedules of high- and low-income countries, and calls for simultaneous upgrades in refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) energy efficiency. It discusses environmental disparities, inhaler emissions, PFAS concerns, and the global health and economic stakes of HFC regulation. The author argues that combining HFC phasedown with RAC improvements could double climate benefits and foster health equity, especially in low-income nations.

This perspective article explores how the Montreal Protocol, originally established to halt ozone depletion from chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), has expanded into a climate-change tool with the phaseout of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). It traces the environmental and health legacy of CFCs—including long-term skin cancer risks—and how HFCs, though ozone-friendly, are potent greenhouse gases contributing to global warming. The article highlights the Kigali Amendment, contrasting the phasedown schedules of high- and low-income countries, and calls for simultaneous upgrades in refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) energy efficiency. It discusses environmental disparities, inhaler emissions, PFAS concerns, and the global health and economic stakes of HFC regulation. The author argues that combining HFC phasedown with RAC improvements could double climate benefits and foster health equity, especially in low-income nations.