Emissions of F-gases from room air conditioners in China and scenarios to 2060

As world's largest air conditioner (AC) consuming and producing market, China is also a major producer and user of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). With the burgeoning demand for building space cooling, China faces the dual pressure from greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction due to its carbon neutral targets, and HFCs emissions reduction managed under the Kigali Amendment. The lack of official inventory by sector to understand the trajectory of F-gas emissions has caused barriers for the quantitative scenario analysis and future reduction pathways planning. Therefore, this study established a bottom-up model to calculate annual building-related F gas emissions from AC units. Historical trend analyses were conducted and future scenarios were designed. The results indicate total refrigerant emissions from AC units in 2019 were 85 Mt CO2-eq, in which disposal stage are the major emitters, accounting for 79%. By adopting refrigerant replacement and management enhancement, the emissions could peak around 2025 and decrease. Technology perspectives and policy suggestions to reduce emissions from room ACs were given to guide future research and development and policymaking.