EU 2021 greenhouse gas inventory report details HFC emissions
The 2021 EU official GHG inventory submission was published on the UNFCC website on 15th April 2022. According to the submission, HFC emissions from refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) continued the downtrend that started in 2014, but RAC contributes 81% of total F-gas emissions in 2020. HFC emissions continued to decrease in 2020 and the HFC share of total emissions has remained relatively constant since 2015 at about 2.4% to 2.5% as total emissions also decreased (see charts). Emissions of HFCs and PFCs from fluorochemicals production are 97% lower in 2020 compared to 1990. The submission comments that in the last decades, the fluorochemicals production processes have been optimized in all facilities so that fugitive emissions have been significantly reduced as well. The 2021 submission covers the years 1990 to 2020 and provides data for emissions and removals for the EU-27, UK and Iceland.
Chart 1: EU reported HFC emissions (EU-27, UK and Iceland)
Chart 2: EU GHG emissions trend and HFC emissions as a share of total emissions
Total emissions shown here excludes LULUCF (Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry).
Reference: EEA/PUBL/2022/051 Annual European Union greenhouse gas inventory 1990–2020 and inventory report 2022 Submission to the UNFCCC Secretariat 15 April 2022