The world's leaders must unite to curb a runaway rise in powerful greenhouse gases used in air-conditioning and commercial refrigeration, a report issued at this week's UN climate conference in Poznan, Poland, says.
Atmospheric concentrations of hydrofluorocarbons, known as HFCs, are rising by 15 per cent a year faster than any of the six main greenhouse gases listed under the Kyoto Protocol, the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency says. One of the most commonly used HFC refrigerants (HFC-23) is estimated to have a global warming impact 14,760 times that of carbon dioxide.
The call for global action on these man-made gases comes as a six-month funding delay by the Rudd Government has forced the insolvency and closure of a national program to increase uptake of environmentally friendly cooling systems. A prominent industry leader has warned that the loss of the Green Cooling Council will cause ''significant embarrassment'' for the Rudd Government as a breach of its Kyoto Protocol obligations.
The closure of the council has also scuppered a $600,000 rural training program, approved under a Council of Australian Governments regional skills scheme.
The program, approved only months ago by the federal Education Department, was to train more than 1400 refrigeration technicians at 35 TAFE campuses across NSW to install and maintain the new systems.
The Environmental Investigation Agency, endorsed by the UN, says a dramatic increase in HFC greenhouse emissions is occurring despite availability of ''viable, low-global warming alternatives''.
It has called for urgent collaboration between the UN and signatories to the Montreal Protocol including Australia to achieve a ''fast-acting phase-out to address the HFC explosion''. The Montreal Protocol sets out a timescale for phasing out ozone-depleting gases.
According to Green Cooling Council figures, HFC refrigerants account for between 4 per cent and 6 per cent of Australia's total greenhouse emissions, with their use growing by 270 per cent since 1990, mainly due to air-conditioning in cars. The Sydney-based council, a non-profit company set up in 2003 to promote and test natural refrigeration systems, was forced into insolvency last week after the Environment Department withheld a final grant payment of $375,000.
The council, which received a $2million grant from the Howard government, is now in the hands of an administrator. Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett has referred comment on the issue to the Department of Environment.
A spokeswoman said the department had been concerned about the council's compliance with its funding obligations and had appointed an auditor in October to report on whether the council's project aims were being achieved.
Stefan Jensen, a council board member and managing director of Scantec Refrigeration Technologies, said the Rudd Government was ''effectively acting against the intent of the Kyoto Protocol'' by withdrawing financial support for the council.
At an industry conference in Denmark this year, about 130 international technical papers were presented on new research into new natural refrigerants, Mr Jensen said.
''This is important technology and the current Labor Government simply does not understand the wider implications of destroying the Green Cooling Council.''
Sydney will host the international Gustav Lorentzen natural refrigerants conference in 2010, named in honour of the Norwegian scientist who advocated substitution of environmentally harmful refrigerants with more natural systems based on ammonia, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, slurry ice and water.
''In view of the current Government's attitude towards environmental matters generally and towards the not-for-profit organisation Green Cooling Council in particular, there will be no place for Government representatives at the [Lorentzen conference] in Sydney in a ceremonial capacity or otherwise.''