WHITE PAPER ON PRICING REFRIGERANTS
Yale University currently prices carbon dioxide emissions from energy use at $40 per metric ton carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCDE), as a way of creating economic incentives for energy efficiency and renewable energy.
In April, we thought to ourselves, why not price refrigerant emissions, too? Refrigerants are responsible for about 10 percent of atmospheric warming worldwide, and are likely a similar proportion of campus climate impact.
The white paper below details the motivations behind this idea to price refrigerants, and the possible economic and environmental benefits of the policy. *All calculations in the paper are available upon request.
*Calculations currently use GWP-20 figures as opposed to GWP-100 figures which are sometimes used in other literature. GWP-20 is the more accurate figure to use for Short-Lived Climate Pollutants, which include HFCs. The California Air Resources Board, U.S. Climate Alliance, and other key agencies and non-profits use GWP-20.