WRITTEN QUESTION E-4120/00

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(11 January 2001)

Subject: Harmful environmental effects of air-conditioning in cars

1. Is the Commission aware of the report published in the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant on 4 November 2000 that half of new cars in the Netherlands and as many as 80 % of new cars in Germany are fitted with air-conditioning systems and that this equipment is used not only for cooling the temperature on hot days but also increasingly for defrosting and demisting windows and mirrors in winter? Can the Commission confirm these figures and trends or does it have alternative data?

2. Can the Commission confirm that the increasing use of air-conditioning consumes more fuel and that the coolant HFC-134a that has been used in air-conditioning for about ten years now is a hydroflurocarbon which has a greenhouse gas effect 1300 times more potent that CO2, and thus makes a significant contribution to global warming despite the fact that it is chlorine-free and therefore less deleterious for the ozone layer that the notorious CFCs used as refrigerants in the past?

3. Is the Commission aware that the HFCs used in refrigerators and as blowing agents for foam insulation and polyurethane foam are increasingly being replaced by hydrocarbons such as butane, pentane and heptane, so far above suspicion, but that they are still being used in car air-conditioning systems, which have an annual leakage of 25 % and constantly have to be topped up so that ultimately, after CO2, they are the most important artificially created greenhouse gas?

4. Does the Commission share my concern about the damaging effects of the growing use of HFCs as coolants, not least because of the greenhouse effect and the obvious difficulty that the Member States have in meeting the commitments entered into as a result of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change?

5. Does the Commission share the wish expressed by researchers and environmental activists that the car industry should be required to reduce leakage of coolant and find alternatives that do not produce greenhouse gasses and use less fuel? Does it not consider that in view of the ominous environmental impact we would be misguided to place all our hopes and trust in self-regulation by the market?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(7 March 2001)

The Commission is aware of the fact that air-conditioning equipment is increasingly fitted in passenger cars. However, the Commission has no solid statistical figures on the percentage of cars equipped with air-conditioning in the Community. Estimates of future trends show, as a rule, a further increase in the fitting of air-conditioning equipment in passenger cars.

The use of mobile air-conditioning is associated with an increase in fuel consumption. Exact figures are not known since the increase in fuel consumption depends on where the car is used. Additional fuel consumption because of fitting cars with air-conditioners seem to be over three times higher in southern Member States compared to northern ones. Fuel consumption also depends on other parameters that are related to the efficiency of the equipment. The test procedures for cars do not cover the use of air-conditioning equipment. However, a recent study made for the Commission estimated that the average European vehicle is likely to emit over its lifetime about 17 grams of carbondioxide (CO2) equivalent per kilometre more due to the increased emission from mobile air conditioning. This includes CO2 emissions due to increased weight, leakage of hydrofluorocarbons (HFC)-134a over the lifetime, leakage of HFC-134a of end-of-life vehicles and extra fuel consumption due to use. This estimate takes into account that HFC-134a has a greenhouse gas potential of 1300 compared to CO2 (based on a global warming potential of 100 years). Another study expects that emissions from the use of fluorinated gases in mobile air conditioning will increase from potentially 1,4 million tons of CO2 (1995) to 14,9 million tons of CO2 in 2010. This potentially very significant increase is a reason for concern.

The Commission is aware that for many applications in the refrigeration and foam blowing sectors there are alternatives to chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFCs), which are neither ozone depleting substances nor have a significant global warming potential. When these alternatives are technically feasible and cost-effective (such as ammonia and hydrocarbons in many applications in stationary refrigeration) they are increasingly being used. As regards mobile air-conditioning, HFC has to date been the preferred choice for refrigerant with safety matters an important consideration. Various measures have been identified in on-going work on limiting emissions of HFC gases to the atmosphere from mobile air-conditioning. These include changes to the design of air-conditioning systems to minimise refrigerant charge, a reduction of leakage rates and an improved collection and recycling of refrigerants. The availability of qualified staff and the establishment of adequate procedures in Member States are critical factors for success.

HFCs are mainly used to substitute the ozone depleting gases, CFCs and HCFCs, which are controlled by the Montreal Protocol. In many applications other gases, like ammonia or even CO2, could replace HFCs and the Commission is encouraging such developments. The Commission has been addressing for some years now the issue of the negative repercussions of the use of HFCs on the greenhouse gas effect within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and other international fora. The establishing of a programme for the reduction of HFC emissions, and other fluorinated gases controlled by the Kyoto Protocol, is part of the European Climate Change Programme (ECCP). The environmental implications of increased demand for refrigeration as well as for cooling of homes, offices and vehicles (e.g. because of the increase HFC emissions and energy consumption) is a concern that needs to be addressed seriously so that the Community will reach its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 8 % in 2008-2012, from 1990 levels.

Hence, the Commission is aware of the negative direct and indirect effects of mobile air-conditioning on global warming. Emissions due to mobile air-conditioning are on the preliminary list of priority actions

within the European Climate Change Programme and have been mentioned as a source of pollution to be addressed by the Environment Council of 10 October 2000. Expert Groups on vehicle technology and on fluorinated gases in the framework of the ECCP are investigating the issue of mobile air conditioning. Recommendations for action will be included in the final report of the ECCP.