The development of new refrigerants has helped slow the destruction of the ozone layer.
Is it true that the development of new refrigerants has helped slow the destruction of the ozone layer?
Partly. While the development and regulation of new refrigerants and substitutes under the Montreal Protocol have successfully aided the recovery of the stratospheric ozone layer, many of these replacement fluorinated gases have introduced new environmental concerns by degrading into persistent chemicals like trifluoroacetic acid (TFA).
Verdict: CONTESTED · 3 sources for, 2 against · Last checked
The claim touches on two eras of refrigerant development. Older ozone-depleting refrigerants (like CFCs) were successfully replaced, and the Montreal Protocol framework is widely credited with helping the ozone layer recover, which is supported by papers 1, 3, and 4. However, newer generations of refrigerants (such as HFCs and HFOs) introduced as ozone-friendly alternatives are now recognized to break down into persistent and potentially toxic substances like trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), posing new planetary boundary threats as shown in papers 0 and 5. This trade-off creates a contested picture where solving the ozone problem has exacerbated chemical pollution challenges.
The evidence we hold leans leans supported
How this was weighed
official record 3x · fact-check 2x · hedged 1x · crowd & reference 1x
- Arctic Ozone Depletion in 2019/20: Roles of Chemistry, Dynam · peer-reviewed · supports · weight 1.6 · 2020
- Montreal Protocol's impact on the ozone layer and climate · peer-reviewed · supports · weight 1.3 · 2023
- The success of the Montreal Protocol in mitigating interacti · peer-reviewed · supports · weight 1.3 · 2021
- The Global Threat from the Irreversible Accumulation of Trif · peer-reviewed · refutes · weight 1.6 · 2024
- Finding non-fluorinated alternatives to fluorinated gases us · peer-reviewed · refutes · weight 1.05 · 2024
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Feng, W., Dhomse, S., Arosio, C., Weber, M., Burrows, J., Santee, M., & Chipperfield, M. (2020). Arctic Ozone Depletion in 2019/20: Roles of Chemistry, Dynamics and the Montreal Protocol. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL091911
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HPH, A., A, G., J, G., M, S., & IT, C. (2024). The Global Threat from the Irreversible Accumulation of Trifluoroacetic Acid (TFA).. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c06189
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Egorova, T., Sedlacek, J., Sukhodolov, T., Karagodin-Doyennel, A., Zilker, F., & Rozanov, E. (2023). Montreal Protocol's impact on the ozone layer and climate. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5135-2023
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Barnes, P., Bornman, J., Pandey, K., Bernhard, G., Bais, A., Neale, R., Robson, T., Neale, P., Williamson, C., Zepp, R., Madronich, S., Wilson, S., Andrady, A., Heikkilä, A., & Robinson, S. (2021). The success of the Montreal Protocol in mitigating interactive effects of stratospheric ozone depletion and climate change on the environment. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15841
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J, G., K, B., A, H., C, V., D, M., IT, C., R, L., G, G., & M, S. (2024). Finding non-fluorinated alternatives to fluorinated gases used as refrigerants.. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1039/d4em00444b
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