Fluorinated greenhouse gases, so-called F-gases, have a much higher global warming potential than carbon dioxide, but have not yet been regulated as strictly. The EU Commission now wants to change this and has proposed stricter guidelines and restrictions. Lukas Scheid has taken a look at the proposal and explains how high the potential savings are.
The implementation of the Digital Services Act poses challenges for all member states. Both Germany and Austria are looking for a coordinator to oversee implementation. In Austria, a solution may now be at hand. But what does this mean for the national Communications Platforms Act? My colleague Falk Steiner has looked into the matter.
In order to increase the reuse of wastewater for agricultural irrigation in drought periods, the EU Commission yesterday published new guidelines. Read more about this in the News section.
At Germanwatch, David Ryfisch heads the International Climate Policy department – a topic that has followed him his entire career. Whether in Ecuador, Brazil, Bonn or Berlin, Ryfisch stands up for the interests of others. We introduce him in today’s Profile
In addition to carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide (laughing gas), F-gases also belong to the group of greenhouse gases. As such, they fall under the Paris Agreement, in which the signatory countries agreed to reduce their emissions in order to achieve the 1.5-degree target. And this is absolutely necessary because the climate impact of fluorinated gases is substantial.
Although F-gases account for only 2.5 percent of EU-wide greenhouse gases, according to Environmental Action Germany, their global warming potential is 100 to 24,000 times that of carbon dioxide. The August 2021 IPCC report suggested that F-gas emissions should be cut by 90 percent by 2050 compared to 2015 levels. No easy task because F-gases were originally used to replace other ozone-depleting materials. Now, they have to be replaced themselves.
F-gases are used as coolants in refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners and heat pumps. But they are also used in various sprays. Partially fluorinated hydrocarbons (HFCs) make up the bulk of F-gas emissions, but perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluorides (SF6) and nitrogen trifluorides (NF3) are also used in various industrial processes, for example, to insulate transmission lines in the power grid.
In 2015, the EU last tightened the regulations for reducing F-gases. Apparently with success: While F-gas emissions in the EU still doubled from 1990 to 2014, they have been on the decline since the new regulation came into force, according to an impact assessment by the Commission. In many appliances where F-gases were previously used, alternatives with lower global warming potential have been used more frequently, including carbon dioxide, ammonia, hydrocarbons and water.
However, the targeted reduction goals for 2030 will not be achieved, especially since the potential for savings is even greater, according to the Commission. The new proposal addresses this gap between targets and implementation and provides for significant emission reductions. By 2030 alone, the new F-Gases Regulation is expected to save the equivalent of 40 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. This is equivalent to Slovakia’s total annual emissions (in 2019). By 2050, an equivalent of 310 million tons of carbon dioxide is to be saved.
The use of HFC refrigerants is to be further regulated. From 2024, only 24 percent of the 2015 volume will be allowed to be brought onto the market across the EU, from 2027 only 10 percent, and in 2030 only 5 percent. Previously, the quotas were 31 percent, 24 percent and 21 percent. With this significantly higher phase-out path for the most commonly used F-gas, the Commission aims to reduce its emissions by 98 percent by 2050.
New restrictions on the application of F-gases are also to be introduced. Their long-term application is to be restricted to systems with no suitable alternatives. The Commission has proposed phase-out paths for the use of F-gases for refrigeration and air conditioning systems, personal care products and electrical switchgear, among others.
By raising the quotas and increasing application restrictions, the Brussels-based authority hopes to achieve another effect. A study commissioned by the Commission and conducted by the Ökoinstitut, among others, found that the lack of trained experts may have led to a slower introduction of more climate-friendly alternatives to F-gases. In addition, safety standards have not been adapted to technical progress. The higher quotas would increase the number of engineers qualified to handle climate-friendly technologies, as member states would need to expand their certification and training programs.
Furthermore, the Commission wants to counter the illegal trade of coolants with an F-Gas portal. The portal will allow manufacturers and importers to document the quantities they place on the market and register involved companies. This is intended to improve the control of imports and exports of F-gases.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), a secondary body of the EU for a wide range of stakeholders, praised the Commission’s proposal but noted room for improvement. In a statement, the EESC calls for a ban on all coolants in heat pumps, room air conditioners, cooling machines and refrigeration equipment with a global warming potential above 5 after 2030 (calculation method on page 15). This would send a clear message to the market, the statement says.
The EESC also recommends that the REPowerEU energy-saving plan be linked to the phase-out of F-gases. In particular, refrigerants with the lowest possible global warming potential should be used in heat pumps. However, the EESC dismisses fears of market bottlenecks in this sector. The industry could increase its production capacities and mainly use natural refrigerants. Here, the EU would have the opportunity to set an example with global green standards.
Parliament’s rapporteur for the revision of the F-Gas Regulation is Bas Eickhout (Greens/EFA). He is very well acquainted with the matter, as he was the rapporteur in charge back in 2013, when the Parliament discussed the Commission’s last revision proposal. Eickhout believes that the Commission’s proposal is sound. But improvements are still needed in several areas, he said. “Certain sectors where there are alternatives can get out of F-gases faster.” But it is also necessary to ensure that we are not confronted with “new chemical cocktails,” when natural solutions exist, Eickhout said.
It is expected that he will submit an initial parliamentary report to the relevant environmental committee this fall. An agreement on the revised regulation is expected for 2023, which means that the new measures could come into force in 2024.
However, there is also some need for discussion about DSA implementation in Vienna. While the EU Commission is supposed to monitor compliance with the DSA for the largest providers such as Facebook, Google, Instagram and Amazon, smaller players are to be monitored in the respective headquarters country or where the European headquarters are located.
The coordination authorities of member states are to cooperate with the Commission, the DSCs of the other member states and all nationally responsible bodies from 2024. “In Austria, timely discussions will take place at expert and political level to ensure implementation and, in particular, to establish the DSA Digital Services Coordinator,” says the office of Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP/EVP), Federal Minister for the EU and Constitution.
KommAustria is repeatedly mentioned as a likely DSC. It is already responsible for content regulation. “Functionally, a partial exemption from instructions will be necessary to achieve the desired independence,” explains Matthias Kettemann, a legal expert at the University of Innsbruck. The DSA mandates a high degree of independence for national coordinating authorities. It is also possible that some tasks could be assigned to the telecommunications regulator RTR – which is structurally very closely related to KommAustria: One department is responsible for the media sector as KommAustria, one for the regulation of postal services and telecommunications as RTR.
Matthias Kettemann expects at least less extensive discussions than in Germany: “There are fewer federal and jurisdictional questions, also because of the federal structure of media supervision in Germany.”
What resources will be needed to ensure DSA compliance is currently largely up to guessing, even in Austria. “At present, it is not possible to make a serious estimate of the effort involved or the staffing and budgeting,” says the office of EU Minister Edtstadler. However, KommAustria already has experience from the Communications Platforms Act.
In 2020, the Republic of Austria passed the Communications Platforms Act (KoPlG), a set of rules closely aligned with the German Network Enforcement Act, which imposes obligations on providers of large communications platforms regarding the handling of presumed illegal content. Providers took legal action against this law – as they did against regulations in the German Network Enforcement Act.
At the end of June, the Austrian Administrative Court formulated several questions on the KoPlG that will now be referred to the European Court of Justice. In particular, the judges consider the compatibility of the Austrian act with the E-Commerce Directive, parts of which are overridden by the Digital Services Act, to be in need of clarification.
This is one of the main problems when it comes to compatibility with DSA legal framework, says Daniela Zimmer of the Vienna Chamber of Labor: “The Communications Platforms Act, which has so far regulated the reporting and blocking mechanisms of communications platforms at a national level, is in any case not compatible with DSA in several points and needs to be adjusted”. The Chamber of Labor is not only an employee representative body, but also a consumer protection organization.
Matthias Kettemann, a law professor at the University of Innsbruck, also sees a need for action, especially with the Communications Platforms Act. He assumes that a ruling by the ECJ would coincide with the process of revising the KoplG for possible DSA compliance.
He sees little chance of survival for the Austrian Platform Act: “At present, I assume that the KoPlG will be revoked or at least greatly reduced in scope, since the regulatory core concerns of the KoPlG are covered in greater detail and in compliance with European law by the DSA.” With the directly applicable DSA, significant parts of the Austrian KoPlG are thus likely to be superseded, as European law takes precedence over the law of the member states.
The Austrian federal government already seems to be prepared for this. The office of EU and Constitutional Minister Edtstadler emphasizes that Austria sees itself as a “pioneer in the fight against hate on the net in Europe” with its own legal framework. “However, the Internet and hate on the net know no national borders. Federal Minister for EU and Constitution Karoline Edtstadler and Federal Minister for Justice Alma Zadić have always emphasized that a European solution is preferable.”
Two issues have accompanied David Ryfisch throughout his career: foreign countries and climate. Born in Bremerhaven, he did his alternative civilian service in Ecuador on an organic cocoa farm and studied for a year in São Paulo, Brazil.
After further stints in Geneva, Washington and Copenhagen, the Bonn-based economist is now employed by Germanwatch, a non-governmental organization with currently almost 100 employees that has been working for the interests of the poorest and most vulnerable in the global South since 1991. The focus is on the German government and Germany’s role as a global actor.
David Ryfisch currently leads Germanwatch’s international climate policy team with 18 staff members. He shares this position with Rixa Schwarz and focuses on international climate financing and the G7 and G20 forums.
He is currently trying to ensure that the German G7 presidency will be a success and that climate protection will be realized more quickly. Because the current international climate policy and climate protection measures do not yet go far enough for him. “A lot of things already look very good on paper,” he explains. The gaps have already been closed. He regards the Paris Agreement as a success, but believes there is still a lot to be done on its execution. Theory must now be followed by change.
Ryfisch sees another challenge, namely overall societal resilience. “The climate crisis is one crisis, but we have multiple crises right now.” It’s a cascade of crises that are all interconnected. The Covid pandemic, the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, the climate crisis and the extinction of species, along with debt crises in developing countries. He feels it is wrong to look at these crises individually. That is why he believes, “Society needs to change at a significant rate.”
When he compares societies of Germany and South America, he sometimes misses the interpersonal warmth and multiculturalism, even though he feels Germany is moving in a promising direction now. Ryfisch brings some Latin American joie de vivre into his life with salsa and bachata dancing at the end of the day or on weekends.
During the pandemic, he discovered the joys of gardening. However, he did not get as far as buying his own potted plants because he commutes between Bonn and Berlin for Germanwatch and usually travels a lot. The green plants in his shared flat only survive thanks to the good care of others. Sarah Tekath
Fluorinated greenhouse gases, so-called F-gases, have a much higher global warming potential than carbon dioxide, but have not yet been regulated as strictly. The EU Commission now wants to change this and has proposed stricter guidelines and restrictions. Lukas Scheid has taken a look at the proposal and explains how high the potential savings are.
The implementation of the Digital Services Act poses challenges for all member states. Both Germany and Austria are looking for a coordinator to oversee implementation. In Austria, a solution may now be at hand. But what does this mean for the national Communications Platforms Act? My colleague Falk Steiner has looked into the matter.
In order to increase the reuse of wastewater for agricultural irrigation in drought periods, the EU Commission yesterday published new guidelines. Read more about this in the News section.
At Germanwatch, David Ryfisch heads the International Climate Policy department – a topic that has followed him his entire career. Whether in Ecuador, Brazil, Bonn or Berlin, Ryfisch stands up for the interests of others. We introduce him in today’s Profile
In addition to carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide (laughing gas), F-gases also belong to the group of greenhouse gases. As such, they fall under the Paris Agreement, in which the signatory countries agreed to reduce their emissions in order to achieve the 1.5-degree target. And this is absolutely necessary because the climate impact of fluorinated gases is substantial.
Although F-gases account for only 2.5 percent of EU-wide greenhouse gases, according to Environmental Action Germany, their global warming potential is 100 to 24,000 times that of carbon dioxide. The August 2021 IPCC report suggested that F-gas emissions should be cut by 90 percent by 2050 compared to 2015 levels. No easy task because F-gases were originally used to replace other ozone-depleting materials. Now, they have to be replaced themselves.
F-gases are used as coolants in refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners and heat pumps. But they are also used in various sprays. Partially fluorinated hydrocarbons (HFCs) make up the bulk of F-gas emissions, but perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluorides (SF6) and nitrogen trifluorides (NF3) are also used in various industrial processes, for example, to insulate transmission lines in the power grid.
In 2015, the EU last tightened the regulations for reducing F-gases. Apparently with success: While F-gas emissions in the EU still doubled from 1990 to 2014, they have been on the decline since the new regulation came into force, according to an impact assessment by the Commission. In many appliances where F-gases were previously used, alternatives with lower global warming potential have been used more frequently, including carbon dioxide, ammonia, hydrocarbons and water.
However, the targeted reduction goals for 2030 will not be achieved, especially since the potential for savings is even greater, according to the Commission. The new proposal addresses this gap between targets and implementation and provides for significant emission reductions. By 2030 alone, the new F-Gases Regulation is expected to save the equivalent of 40 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. This is equivalent to Slovakia’s total annual emissions (in 2019). By 2050, an equivalent of 310 million tons of carbon dioxide is to be saved.
The use of HFC refrigerants is to be further regulated. From 2024, only 24 percent of the 2015 volume will be allowed to be brought onto the market across the EU, from 2027 only 10 percent, and in 2030 only 5 percent. Previously, the quotas were 31 percent, 24 percent and 21 percent. With this significantly higher phase-out path for the most commonly used F-gas, the Commission aims to reduce its emissions by 98 percent by 2050.
New restrictions on the application of F-gases are also to be introduced. Their long-term application is to be restricted to systems with no suitable alternatives. The Commission has proposed phase-out paths for the use of F-gases for refrigeration and air conditioning systems, personal care products and electrical switchgear, among others.
By raising the quotas and increasing application restrictions, the Brussels-based authority hopes to achieve another effect. A study commissioned by the Commission and conducted by the Ökoinstitut, among others, found that the lack of trained experts may have led to a slower introduction of more climate-friendly alternatives to F-gases. In addition, safety standards have not been adapted to technical progress. The higher quotas would increase the number of engineers qualified to handle climate-friendly technologies, as member states would need to expand their certification and training programs.
Furthermore, the Commission wants to counter the illegal trade of coolants with an F-Gas portal. The portal will allow manufacturers and importers to document the quantities they place on the market and register involved companies. This is intended to improve the control of imports and exports of F-gases.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), a secondary body of the EU for a wide range of stakeholders, praised the Commission’s proposal but noted room for improvement. In a statement, the EESC calls for a ban on all coolants in heat pumps, room air conditioners, cooling machines and refrigeration equipment with a global warming potential above 5 after 2030 (calculation method on page 15). This would send a clear message to the market, the statement says.
The EESC also recommends that the REPowerEU energy-saving plan be linked to the phase-out of F-gases. In particular, refrigerants with the lowest possible global warming potential should be used in heat pumps. However, the EESC dismisses fears of market bottlenecks in this sector. The industry could increase its production capacities and mainly use natural refrigerants. Here, the EU would have the opportunity to set an example with global green standards.
Parliament’s rapporteur for the revision of the F-Gas Regulation is Bas Eickhout (Greens/EFA). He is very well acquainted with the matter, as he was the rapporteur in charge back in 2013, when the Parliament discussed the Commission’s last revision proposal. Eickhout believes that the Commission’s proposal is sound. But improvements are still needed in several areas, he said. “Certain sectors where there are alternatives can get out of F-gases faster.” But it is also necessary to ensure that we are not confronted with “new chemical cocktails,” when natural solutions exist, Eickhout said.
It is expected that he will submit an initial parliamentary report to the relevant environmental committee this fall. An agreement on the revised regulation is expected for 2023, which means that the new measures could come into force in 2024.
However, there is also some need for discussion about DSA implementation in Vienna. While the EU Commission is supposed to monitor compliance with the DSA for the largest providers such as Facebook, Google, Instagram and Amazon, smaller players are to be monitored in the respective headquarters country or where the European headquarters are located.
The coordination authorities of member states are to cooperate with the Commission, the DSCs of the other member states and all nationally responsible bodies from 2024. “In Austria, timely discussions will take place at expert and political level to ensure implementation and, in particular, to establish the DSA Digital Services Coordinator,” says the office of Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP/EVP), Federal Minister for the EU and Constitution.
KommAustria is repeatedly mentioned as a likely DSC. It is already responsible for content regulation. “Functionally, a partial exemption from instructions will be necessary to achieve the desired independence,” explains Matthias Kettemann, a legal expert at the University of Innsbruck. The DSA mandates a high degree of independence for national coordinating authorities. It is also possible that some tasks could be assigned to the telecommunications regulator RTR – which is structurally very closely related to KommAustria: One department is responsible for the media sector as KommAustria, one for the regulation of postal services and telecommunications as RTR.
Matthias Kettemann expects at least less extensive discussions than in Germany: “There are fewer federal and jurisdictional questions, also because of the federal structure of media supervision in Germany.”
What resources will be needed to ensure DSA compliance is currently largely up to guessing, even in Austria. “At present, it is not possible to make a serious estimate of the effort involved or the staffing and budgeting,” says the office of EU Minister Edtstadler. However, KommAustria already has experience from the Communications Platforms Act.
In 2020, the Republic of Austria passed the Communications Platforms Act (KoPlG), a set of rules closely aligned with the German Network Enforcement Act, which imposes obligations on providers of large communications platforms regarding the handling of presumed illegal content. Providers took legal action against this law – as they did against regulations in the German Network Enforcement Act.
At the end of June, the Austrian Administrative Court formulated several questions on the KoPlG that will now be referred to the European Court of Justice. In particular, the judges consider the compatibility of the Austrian act with the E-Commerce Directive, parts of which are overridden by the Digital Services Act, to be in need of clarification.
This is one of the main problems when it comes to compatibility with DSA legal framework, says Daniela Zimmer of the Vienna Chamber of Labor: “The Communications Platforms Act, which has so far regulated the reporting and blocking mechanisms of communications platforms at a national level, is in any case not compatible with DSA in several points and needs to be adjusted”. The Chamber of Labor is not only an employee representative body, but also a consumer protection organization.
Matthias Kettemann, a law professor at the University of Innsbruck, also sees a need for action, especially with the Communications Platforms Act. He assumes that a ruling by the ECJ would coincide with the process of revising the KoplG for possible DSA compliance.
He sees little chance of survival for the Austrian Platform Act: “At present, I assume that the KoPlG will be revoked or at least greatly reduced in scope, since the regulatory core concerns of the KoPlG are covered in greater detail and in compliance with European law by the DSA.” With the directly applicable DSA, significant parts of the Austrian KoPlG are thus likely to be superseded, as European law takes precedence over the law of the member states.
The Austrian federal government already seems to be prepared for this. The office of EU and Constitutional Minister Edtstadler emphasizes that Austria sees itself as a “pioneer in the fight against hate on the net in Europe” with its own legal framework. “However, the Internet and hate on the net know no national borders. Federal Minister for EU and Constitution Karoline Edtstadler and Federal Minister for Justice Alma Zadić have always emphasized that a European solution is preferable.”
Two issues have accompanied David Ryfisch throughout his career: foreign countries and climate. Born in Bremerhaven, he did his alternative civilian service in Ecuador on an organic cocoa farm and studied for a year in São Paulo, Brazil.
After further stints in Geneva, Washington and Copenhagen, the Bonn-based economist is now employed by Germanwatch, a non-governmental organization with currently almost 100 employees that has been working for the interests of the poorest and most vulnerable in the global South since 1991. The focus is on the German government and Germany’s role as a global actor.
David Ryfisch currently leads Germanwatch’s international climate policy team with 18 staff members. He shares this position with Rixa Schwarz and focuses on international climate financing and the G7 and G20 forums.
He is currently trying to ensure that the German G7 presidency will be a success and that climate protection will be realized more quickly. Because the current international climate policy and climate protection measures do not yet go far enough for him. “A lot of things already look very good on paper,” he explains. The gaps have already been closed. He regards the Paris Agreement as a success, but believes there is still a lot to be done on its execution. Theory must now be followed by change.
Ryfisch sees another challenge, namely overall societal resilience. “The climate crisis is one crisis, but we have multiple crises right now.” It’s a cascade of crises that are all interconnected. The Covid pandemic, the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, the climate crisis and the extinction of species, along with debt crises in developing countries. He feels it is wrong to look at these crises individually. That is why he believes, “Society needs to change at a significant rate.”
When he compares societies of Germany and South America, he sometimes misses the interpersonal warmth and multiculturalism, even though he feels Germany is moving in a promising direction now. Ryfisch brings some Latin American joie de vivre into his life with salsa and bachata dancing at the end of the day or on weekends.
During the pandemic, he discovered the joys of gardening. However, he did not get as far as buying his own potted plants because he commutes between Bonn and Berlin for Germanwatch and usually travels a lot. The green plants in his shared flat only survive thanks to the good care of others. Sarah Tekath
