Let's create continuous conversations about climate change education: Spreading the Sediment of Science!
Refrigerant Management
Provided by: Project Drawdown |Published on: January 10, 2023
Articles/Websites Grades 9-12, ap-college
Synopsis
- This article discusses the potential reduction in emissions that could be achieved through better management of the refrigerants used in air conditioning and refrigeration systems.
- Students will learn about the environmental impact of refrigerants, ways to better manage refrigerants through controlling leakages and ensuring proper end-of-life disposal, and challenges to adopting this solution.
Subjects: Social Studies, Earth and Space Sciences
Authors: Project Drawdown
Region: Global
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The article includes a sidebar with a few ideas for what readers can do to help.
- Students see an example of how emission reduction potentials are estimated, as the methodology for this analysis is thoroughly described.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students should understand the causes of climate change and the importance of emission reduction.
Differentiation
- Chemistry classes can further explore the specific properties of CFCs, HCFCs, HFCs, and natural refrigerants like CO2 and NH3 to identify why they differ in global warming potential and ozone depletion.
- Civics classes can discuss the existing international agreements around refrigerant management, such as the Montreal Protocol and the Kigali Amendment (agreement to reduce HFCs in 2016). Students can also be challenged to propose a future international agreement or country-specific regulation that would support improvements in refrigerant management.
- Economics classes can discuss the economic challenges to implementing this solution and explore ways to overcome these challenges through incentives like carbon credits.
- In Earth science classes, students can check out the entire list of solutions by Project Drawdown to see how this solution compares to others.
- The article mentions the opportunity to replace high-warming refrigerants with lower-warming alternatives. Students can explore this further by reading the article on alternative refrigerants.
Scientist Notes
Teaching Tips
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Resource Type and Format
About the Partner Provider
Project Drawdown
Project Drawdown is a nonprofit organization that seeks to help the world reach “drawdown”—the future point in time when levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop climbing and start to steadily decline. Cities, universities, corporations, philanthropies, policymakers, communities, educators, activists, and more turn to Project Drawdown as they look to advance effective climate action. Project Drawdown resources for educators include the database of Drawdown Solutions, educational video series Climate Solutions 101, the Drawdown Stories initiative, and more.
All resources can be used for your educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.
