MODEL-CALCULATIONS OF THE RELATIVE EFFECTS OF CFCS AND THEIR REPLACEMENTS ON GLOBAL WARMING

Halocarbons can contribute to global warming by absorbing long-wave radiation. Concern over the depletion of stratospheric ozone has led to inter-national agreements that restrict future uses of fully halogenated compounds, such as chloro-fluorocarbons CFC-11 and -12. But most com-pounds proposed as replacements also absorb long-wave radiation, and so their potential contribu-tions as greenhouse gases need to be assessed. Model calculations show that the replacement com-pounds have an effect about an order of magnitude less than that of their regulated counterparts. © 1990 Nature Publishing Group.