China emits illegal greenhouse gases that destroy the ozone layer: study

There has been an increase in emissions of an illegal greenhouse gas that destroys the earth's ozone layer – and China is responsible for a "substantial fraction" of this increase, according to a new study.

Research released Wednesday revealed that China accounted for 40% to 60% of the global increase in trichlorofluoromethane emissions, or CFC-11, between 2014 and 2017. The gas emissions came mainly from Shandong and Hebei provinces. , in northeastern China. at the study.

The scientists who conducted the study came from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, Kyungpook National University in South Korea and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States. Their research builds on previous studies on the increase of CFC-11 emissions in the atmosphere after 2013. by giving details of the geographical origins of these increases.

The latest study also confirmed media and activists reporting that China may be behind on emissions.

"Several considerations suggest that the increase in CFC-11 emissions from the east of mainland China would likely be the result of new production and use, which is in contradiction with the 39, Montreal protocol agreement to phase out global chlorofluorocarbon production by 2010, "the scientists wrote the summary of the study.

The Montreal Protocol is an agreement signed by the 197 member states of the United Nations – including China – to regulate the production and consumption of chemicals harmful to the protective layer of the Earth. The treaty led to a "significant reduction" in harmful gases such as CFC-11, which then allowed the damaged ozone layer to heal, according to a report in the Canadian National Post newspaper.

Last year, a New York Times report revealed that Chinese factories had ignored the global ban on CFC-11 under the Montreal Protocol. They had continued to manufacture and use this chemical because it was a cheaper material for the manufacture of foam insulation for refrigerators and buildings.

A group of non-governmental activists, the Environmental Investigation Agency, published last year similar findings to those of the Times, based on its own research. The group said the Chinese authorities had begun to crack down on the illegal production and use of CFC-11.