As the summer heats up
, air conditioners are being cranked to full blast. Once upon a time---that is, until the 1980s
---the coolant gasses in these machines, which leaked into the atmosphere after units were junked, were a major threat to the ozone layer. Now manufacturers have replaced them with ozone-friendly versions. But the new coolants are still potent greenhouse gasses. In a New York Times article
, Elisabeth Rosenthal and Andrew W. Lehren describe how air conditioner use is increasing, and why this could spell trouble for climate change.
The oldest CFC coolants, which are highly damaging to the ozone layer, have been largely eliminated from use; and the newest ones, used widely in industrialized nations, have little or no effect on it. But these gases have an impact the ozone treaty largely ignores. Pound for pound, they contribute to global warming thousands of times more than does ...
