Today we will be talking about China’s efforts to phase out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCS), a class of refrigerants with huge impacts on the climate. Our guest today is an expert on the topic, Professor Hu Jianxin. Professor Hu holds bachelor's and master's degrees in Chemistry from Peking University. He has been on the faculty at Peking University since 1986 and is currently a professor at the College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, and also the Institute of Carbon Neutrality, Peking University.

He has published numerous academic studies of HFCs, focusing on potential emissions reduction pathways as well as the cost of mitigation in various sectors. He was involved in the negotiations leading up to the Kigali Amendment as well as several other international agreements.

Topics addressed in this episode:

- How Prof. Hu got started investigating HFCs

- Who needs to take action to reduce emissions of HFCs: chemical manufacturers, equipment manufacturers, consumers, and the repair/maintenance industry

- Near-term strategies for reducing and recycling HFCs

- Substitutes for HFCs (HFOs) - their costs, efficiencies, and timelines

- What does it mean when your air conditioner breaks and the repair person says you need more refrigerant

Some useful acronyms:

HFCs: Hydrofluorocarbons (replacement for CFCs but a dangerous greenhouse gas and hence targeted for reduction under the Kigali Amendment)

HCFCs: hydrochlorofluorocarbons (an ozone-depleting refrigerant)

CFCs: Chlorofluorocarbons (ozone-depleting refrigerant phased out by the original Montreal Protocol)

HFOs: Hydrofluoolefins (current and future substitute for HFCs)

UNEP: United Nations Environment Programme, pronounced "you-nep"

EPA: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Environment China is a bilingual podcast featuring conversations with advocates, entrepreneurs, and experts working in the sustainability field in China for both Chinese and international audiences. So far, we have released 129 episodes already. You can listen to them on Environment China's official website, BEN's WeChat Account, or Google/Apple/Spotify Podcast.

Producer: Anders Hove