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.

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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. 

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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.