Turning Down the Greenhouse Gases in Your Air Conditioning
John Upton discusses the benefits and drawbacks of the new global ban on HFCs.
Vocabulary: hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), climate change, greenhouse gases, Montreal Protocol
NGSS: ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems, ETS2.B: Influence of Engineering, Technology, and Science on Society and the Natural World, CCC7: Stability and Change.
Common Core State Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.1, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.1, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.1, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9–10.1, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11–12.1
More than 150 countries approved an agreement to phase out the production and use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Used in air conditioning and refrigeration units, HFCs are heat-trapping chemicals that contribute to increasing global temperatures. John Upton, a senior science writer for Climate Central, breaks down the good and bad of the agreement.
Print this segment transcript.
Questions for Students
- HFCs were developed as a solution to the problem of CFCs. Why are they being banned?
- Why might a HFC ban be harder on countries like India or Pakistan than on countries like the United States?
- Explain why this treaty might not go into effect in the United States.
Activity Suggestions
- How do international agreements try to manage the effects of a new global policy on emerging or developing economies? Have your students examine the new amendment to the Montreal Protocol with this EPA article, read about some of the issues surrounding the new HFC regulations and the possible impacts of the policy on India.
- Have students take on the role of a congressperson and draft an argumentative writing piece for members of congress in which they argue for or against the new amendment.
