Published:
2
July
2012
Carbon pricing and refrigerant gas - government urges clarity
In response to some recent media coverage about carbon pricing and the refrigerant gas R404A, Mr Greg Combet, the federal minister for climate change, has issued a statement to clarify.
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R404A, a gas used in many fridges, is a synthetic greenhouse gas with a global warming potential many times greater than CO2 |
Mr Combet’s statement asserts that R404A makes up less than 10 per cent of the refrigerants used in Australia and attracts an equivalent carbon price of around $75 per kilogram, which is less than a quarter of the increase cited by the Sophie Mirabella, the Member for Indi, as reported in The Australian and other media outlets.
According to Mr Combet, the price rise reflects the fact synthetic greenhouse gases such as R404A, which are used in many refrigerators, are often thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide in their impact on global warming.
‘R404A has a global warming potential over 3000 times more potent than carbon dioxide – which is why its price will rise under a carbon price. Many other refrigerant gases are much less potent,’ says Mr Combet.
‘The Gillard Government is introducing an equivalent carbon price on these gases to encourage the take up of alternatives with no, or much lower, global warming potencies. It also provides an incentive to repair refrigeration equipment, rather than let these gases leak into the atmosphere.’
According to Mr Combet, the equivalent carbon price is being levied through the regulatory regime which the Howard Government established for synthetic greenhouse gases in 2003.
Mr Combet claims that the Government’s Household Assistance package will make the impact on households minimal.
‘For example, the price of a domestic refrigerator would increase by around $4.’
Source: Mr Greg Combet, Federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency
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