Emissions of HFC-23 do not reflect commitments made under the Kigali Amendment

Abstract

HFC-23 (trifluoromethane) is a potent greenhouse gas released to the atmosphere primarily as a by-product of HCFC-22 (chlorodifluoromethane) synthesis. Since 2020, the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol has required Parties to destroy their HFC-23 emissions to the extent possible. Here, we present updated HFC-23 emissions estimated from atmospheric observations. Globally, emissions fell to 14.0 ± 0.9 Gg yr-1 in 2023 from their maximum in 2019 of 17.3 ± 0.8 Gg yr-1, but remained five times higher than reported in 2021. Atmospheric observation-based emissions for eastern China, the world’s largest HCFC-22 producer, were also found to be substantially higher than 2020-2022 reported emissions. We estimate that potential HFC-23 sources not directly linked to HCFC-22 production explain only a minor, albeit highly uncertain, fraction of this discrepancy. Our findings suggest that HFC-23 emissions have not been destroyed to the extent reported by the Parties since the implementation of the Kigali Amendment. Substantial hydrofluorocarbon-23 emissions persist despite international reduction commitments: Emissions estimates based on inverse modelling of atmospheric measurements and transport exceeded reported values by more than five times in 2021.