Perfluoropolyethers

Perfluoropolyethers (PFPEs) used as industrial heat transfer fluids, electronic reliability testing, metal and electronics cleaning, and lubricant applications. At the time of the negotiation of the Kyoto Protocol Perfluoropolyethers were not included amongst the key gases to be controlled. (See Greenhouse gases omitted from the Kyoto Protocol for more details).

PFPEs in the Post-Kyoto Protocol Agreement
Ahead of the negotiation of a successor agreement to the protocol, the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change have sought comments from governments on whether Perfluoropolyethers and perfluorocarbons should be included in a new agreement.

In a submission to the UNFCCC, the Australian government summarised the the uses and sources of the HFCs under consideration as being :


 * "Only one PFPE is assigned a GWP value in the AR4. The use and relative contribution to climate change of this gas is not clear. More broadly,  there  appears  to  be  a  scarcity  of  readily  available  information  on  the  global  warming potentials and extent of PFPE use. These uncertainties prevent an accurate assessment of the potential for PFPEs (including the PFPE listed in the AR4) to contribute to climate change, the scope for mitigation and its costs. However, achieving greater understanding of this family of gases is important."

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Accra Climate Change Talks 2008
 * Clean Development Mechanism
 * COP14
 * COP15
 * Emissions Trading
 * Joint Implementation
 * Kyoto Protocol
 * United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change