How to Considerably Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions Due to Mobile Air Conditioners

SUMMARY This paper is one input to respond the Council request of 10 October 2000 to " study and prepare measures in reduction of all greenhouse gas emissions from air conditioning in vehicles ". Greenhouse gas emissions due to mobile air conditioning are significant and growing fast in the European Union. The European Commission estimates that the emission will be between 31 and 53 Mt CO 2 eq in 2010 and between 54 and 90 Mt CO 2 eq in 2020 without technological improvement or additional policies. About one third of these emissions are due to higher fuel consumption and consequent CO 2 emissions and two thirds due to the emissions of the refrigerant, HFC-134a. Both CO 2 and HFC-134a are greenhouse gases controlled under the Kyoto Protocol, ratified by the EU in May 2002. The consequence of this development that the improvements of the CO 2 /car commitments of to reach the 140 g/km by 2008 are significantly eroded. Action is needed to reduce both HFC and CO 2 emissions. Containment of HFC 134a is possible but seems rather expensive. Substitutes for HFC 134a are available and seem to be the more cost-effective solutions. Overall the conclusion of this paper is that it is possible to phase out the refrigerant without excessive cost. There are still a number of open questions with regard to the most appropriate substitute to HFC-134a. The policies should not prescribe the substitute in all details but lay down a flexible approach which allows manufactures and suppliers to select the most appropriate option within given time limits. Since the additional fuel consumption is significant one should define test procedure as a prerequisite for monitoring and future policy development. Therefore, the test procedure work should be continued, and a test procedure ready for use should be developed. In this paper also relevant questions to stakeholders are posed in order to get their views by 11 March 2003 so that these can be taken into account when the Commission will make its proposal or proposals to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions due to mobile air conditioning. This paper is an input to a stakeholder conference that is organised in Brussels on 10 and 11 February 2003.