Climate Accord Could Push A/C Out of Sweltering India’s Reach

In India, a family’s first air conditioner marks upward mobility and the potential to reach the middle class. But the low-cost air conditioners usually contain hydrofluorocarbons, a “supergreenhouse gas,” report Ellen Barry and Coral Davenport of the New York Times. Negotiators from more than 150 nations have reached a global agreement to phase out use of HFCs. For countries like the United States, where HFC-heavy units are barely used, the accord is a no-brainer. But in India – where less than 9 percent of households have such units and temperatures reach well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit during summer – the units are transformative. “A surge in the use of HFC-fueled air conditioners” could contribute a whole degree of global warming in the next century, suggest Barry and Davenport. The wealthiest developed nations, with cooler temperatures on average, will cut back on HFCs by 2019, reports BBC News, while warmer developing nations, including India, will not end use until 2028. China, the largest maker of HFC products, will not cut production until 2029. – YaleGlobal