heat trapping

California is the largest emitter of a little-known greenhouse gas

April 30, 2024 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

California is a state known for its aggressive climate policies. However, and rather ironically, California is also the nation’s greatest emitter of one little-known greenhouse gas: sulfuryl fluoride.

Sulfuryl fluoride is one of the few treatments to rid buildings of drywood termites, a common regional pest that can be found in wooden structures. Sulfuryl fluoride is also used at shipping ports to destroy pests before they can hitch a ride to another part of the world.

But sulfuryl fluoride is also a greenhouse gas that’s several thousand times more effective than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere.

According to a new study by researchers from Johns Hopkins University, as much as 17% of global emissions of this gas stem from the U.S., and the majority of those emissions can be traced back to just a few counties in Southern California. In fact, the research team found 60-85% of sulfuryl fluoride emissions in the U.S. come from California, primarily Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties.

In the paper, which was recently published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, the researchers attribute approximately 85% of the state’s sulfuryl fluoride emissions to structural fumigation. Structural fumigation is the practice of sealing an infested structure, pumping this gas into it to kill pests, and then releasing the gas into the atmosphere. The other 15% of emissions come from agricultural and commodities fumigation.

Without some form of intervention, the research team warns that sulfuryl fluoride will continue to accumulate in the atmosphere, where it can linger for more than 40 years.

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Researcher sheds light on the main source of a rare but destructive greenhouse gas

California leads U.S. emissions of little-known greenhouse gas

It is very important to save nature in California and we happy that Michael / Armchair Builder via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

The World’s Hottest Day | Earth Wise

July 27, 2023 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Early in July – for four days in a row – the average global temperature was the highest ever recorded. As many places around the world endured dangerous heatwaves, the average global temperature on the fourth of July reached 62.92 degrees Fahrenheit, the highest ever recorded by human-made instruments. On July 6th, the global temperature climbed even further to 63.01 degrees.

The average global temperature on an annual basis was about 56.7 degrees from the 1880s through the 1910s. Temperatures rose a bit after that but ended up about 57.2 degrees until the 1980s. After that, temperatures have risen fairly steadily as heat-trapping gases have accumulated in the atmosphere driving the current average above 58 degrees.

Global temperatures have only been directly measured since the mid-20th century. There are proxy measurements from sources like tree rings, ice core samples, glacier measurements, and more that indicate that the recent readings may be the warmest days the earth has seen in millennia.

Average global temperature is determined using temperature readings at thousands of locations on both land and sea across the entire planet. Those readings are compared with average temperatures at those locations for the date and the difference (known as the temperature anomaly) used to calculate a global average.

With the recent arrival of the El Niño in the Pacific Ocean, it is likely that the warming already being driven by greenhouse gas accumulation will intensify further.

In a summer already marked by extreme heatwaves in many locations, having the entire planet 4 or 5 degrees hotter than normal is a very big deal and most certainly not a record to celebrate.

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Earth reaches hottest day ever recorded 4 days in a row

Photo, posted October 29, 2008, courtesy of Darek via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Propane Refrigerants | Earth Wise

September 20, 2022 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

About 10% of the world’s total electricity supply is used for air conditioning. If current temperature trends continue, the energy demands for space cooling will more than triple by the year 2050. Air conditioning is a double threat to the environment. Apart from using lots of energy, ACs also make use of halogenated refrigerants that are extremely powerful greenhouse gases.

The most common space cooling appliances are split-air conditioners, which use an indoor unit and an outdoor unit connected by pipes. These split ACS mostly utilize HCFC-22 and HFC-410 as refrigerants, which have global warming potential scores as high as 2,256 – meaning they trap 2,256 times more heat than carbon dioxide.

A study by the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis in Austria has shown that propane is a far better choice as an air conditioning refrigerant. Its global warming potential is actually less than 1 meaning it traps less heat than carbon dioxide. According to the study, if air conditioners switched to propane refrigerants, the world would avoid about a tenth of a degree Celsius of additional warming, which is a significant contribution to meeting the goals of the Paris climate agreement.

Propane-based split-ACs are already available commercially in China and India. Elsewhere, many national regulations prohibit their use, primarily due to codes restricting the use of refrigerants with higher flammability. Given the increasingly urgent need for climate action, it seems to be time to reconsider regulations on refrigerants.

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Propane — a solution for more sustainable air conditioning

Photo, posted March 24, 2021, courtesy of Phyxter Home Services via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

A Climate-Friendlier Coolant

November 18, 2016 By WAMC WEB

Recently, negotiators from more than 170 countries reached a legally binding accord in Kigali, Rwanda to cut the use of hydroflurocarbons, or HFCs, which are chemical coolants used in air conditioners and refrigerators. HFCs are just a small percentage of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, but they are supercharged greenhouse gases that have 1,000 times the heat-trapping potency of carbon dioxide.