August 2007
China and CFCs : Now and Then
Chinese state media recently reported that China has banned the production and import of two ozone-depleting substances, honouring an international commitment to phase them out by 2010. Under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, which was signed by 24 nations in 1987, developed countries agreed to phase out the chemicals by. 1st January 2005 while developing countries had a 1st January 2015 deadline.
The Protocol, which now has 189 member nations, is considered one of the most effective environmental treaties in existence to date. Over £1 billion has been spent through an affiliated fund cajoling countries to stop using chlorofluorocarbons, also known as CFCs, formerly used in refrigeration and air conditioning systems, and fire extinguishers. Eight industries that used or produced CFCs and halon have already banned the substances, the official Xinhua News Agency said, without naming the industries. Meanwhile, the final six Chinese factories to produce CFCs, located in Changshu in eastern China's Jiangsu province, agreed to stop production the following week.
This comes not long after a 2005 Environmental Investigation Agency report revealing the leading role played by Chinese firms in the worldwide illegal trade in CFCs
The evidence, contained in a report entitled Under the Counter, showed Chinese smugglers easily evading restrictions and supplying CFCs to the black market. Some had even been involved in the illegal CFC trade since the mid- 1990s.
The report was the result of undercover investigations and eight years of tracking of the global illegal CFC trade, and was released as delegates from over 180 countries attended a Montreal Protocol meeting in Senegal.
Posing as chemical dealers, EIA investigators visited a number of firms in the Chinese province of Zhejiang, the centre of the country’s CFC industry, and were offered supplies of illegal CFCs totaling 122 tonnes as well as guarantees of continued supply.
Shockingly, these initial trial orders were equivalent to more than 12% of the entire quantity of CFCs available to China for all its export and for stockpiling in 2006.
The Chinese firms who made the offers included China’s largest CFC manufacturer; the sales department of a factory that had been paid to stop producing CFCs in 2003, and several other firms whose illicit activities were exposed by EIA as far back as 1997.
The investigators were also informed of the various methods used to smuggle the chemicals to countries in South East Asia, the Middle East, Africa, South America and Europe. The most frequently used method being mis-declaring the CFCs as alternative chemicals that are not controlled by the Montreal Protocol.
Dr. Ezra Clark, Head of EIA’s Ozone Layer Campaign, stated: "We were shocked by the blatant disregard of the Chinese traders for the restrictions placed on CFCs. They are hindering the recovery of the ozone layer for a quick profit, and this needs to be stopped.
"China is the largest producer of CFCs in the world, and has received substantial funding from the international community to close factories and cease production in 2007, three years ahead of schedule. The Chinese authorities claim to have rigorous controls in place to monitor the production and export of CFCs, yet these were easily avoided by the smugglers EIA met with.
Dr. Clark continued: "Whilst China should be applauded for reducing its CFC production, it has a responsibility to ensure CFCs made in China don’t end up on the black market. It is not acceptable to turn a blind eye and pass the problem on to customs officers in importing countries."
Thus, though commendable that the Peoples’ Republic has claimed to make such progress, the true state of affairs will inevitably remain unknown.
As the biggest producer and consumer of CFCs and halon among developing nations, China has disposed of about 100,000 tons of CFCs and about 80,000 tons of halon since it signed the protocol in 1991, said Zhang Lijun, deputy director of the State Environmental Protection Administration. And although not stating what checks would remain in place to ensure the trade in CFCs would be permanently stamped out, China’s willingness to progress in at least this field of environmental change has been dramatic.
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