Switching to propane in air conditioners could prevent 0.1°C of global warming

Much of the world is seeing higher temperatures. Countries like the UK generally do not have any Air Conditioning, but if the conditions continue to worsen and it is very likely that it will then the UK is likely to join the growing number of counties that use Air conditioning. In 2016 10% of the worlds energy was used to cool homes down and this is rising. One of the main problems with Air conditioners is the refrigerant, these are now hydrofluorocarbons, which are Ozone friendly but are still greenhouse gases. Switching to Propane could work although it is banned in some countries because it is inflammable. Researchers at  the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Austria  used climate and economic models to compare three scenarios. In one scenario, potent HFCs continues to be used. In the second, the most widely used HFC is replaced with an HFC that results in less warming, but is still hundreds of times more potent than CO2. In the third, propane is used as a refrigerant in all split Air Conditioning Units. They found switching to propane would avoid between 0.06°C and 0.12°C of warming by 2100, assuming a future in which CO2 emissions continue around current levels to 2050 then begin to fall. Switching to the less potent HFC avoided 0.03°C of warming.


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