Australian and global HFC, PFC, Sulfur Hexafluoride, Nitrogen Trifluoride and Sulfuryl Fluoride Emissions - 2015

About this document

The Australian and global HFC, PFC, Sulfur Hexafluoride, Nitrogen Trifluoride and Sulfuryl Fluoride Emissions report was produced by CSIRO on behalf of the Department of the Environment. It details estimates of Australian emissions of key synthetic greenhouse gases (SGGs) between 2005-2013 based on data collected at Cape Grim (Tasmania) and Aspendale (Victoria) using AGAGE Medusa (GC-MS) and GC-ECD data.

The report found that global emissions for most of the SGGs continues to rise – HFC emissions at 8% per year, PFCs at 1.6% per year, Sulfur Hexafluoride at 3.9% per year and Sulfuryl Fluoride at 6.5% per year.

Atmospheric measurements at Cape Grim suggest that Australian total emissions of HFCs, PFCs and Sulfur Hexafluoride peaked in 2010 and have declined every year since. However, Australian Greenhouse Gas Inventory data suggests that emissions of these chemicals are still growing.

There is a reasonable agreement over the period 2005-2013 between the Australian greenhouse gas inventory and atmospheric data for HFC emissions, whereas, for PFCs and SF6, the Greenhouse Gas inventory emissions are substantially lower than those derived from Cape Grim data.