The atmospheric concentrations and emissions of major halocarbons in China during 2009–2019

Highlights: • Annual emissions were obtained by an interspecies correlation method. • Emission discrepancies were found for CFCs compared to the bottom-up estimates. • HCFCs contributed the most CO₂-equivalent emissions among ODSs in China. • HCFCs contributed the most to global emissions among CFCs, HCFCs and HFC-134a. Due to the characteristics of ozone-depleting and high global warming potential, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) have been restricted by the Montreal Protocol and its amendments over the world. Considering that China is one of the main contributors to the emission of halocarbons, a long-term atmospheric observation on major substances including CFC-11 (CCl₃F), CFC-12 (CCl₂F₂), HCFC-22 (CHClF₂), HCFC-141b (CH₃CCl₂F), HCFC-142b (CH₃CClF₂) and HFC-134a (CH₂FCF₃) was conducted in five cities (Beijing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Lanzhou and Chengdu) of China during 2009–2019. The atmospheric concentrations of CFC-11, CFC-12, HCFC-141b and HCFC-142b all showed declining trends on the whole while those of HCFC-22 and HFC-134a were opposite. A paired sample t-test showed that the ambient mixing ratios of HCFC-22 and HFC-134a in cities were 41.9% and 25.7% higher on average than those in suburban areas, respectively, while the other substances did not show significant regional differences. The annual emissions of halocarbons were calculated using an interspecies correlation method and the results were generally consistent with the published estimates. Discrepancies between bottom-up inventories and the estimates in this study for CFCs emissions were found. Among the most consumed ozone depleting substances (ODSs) in China, CFCs accounted for 75.1% of the ozone depletion potential (ODP)-weighted emissions while HCFCs contributed a larger proportion (58.6%) of CO₂-equivalent emissions in 2019. China's emissions of HCFC-141b and HCFC-142b contributed the most to the global emission (17.8%–48.0%). The elimination of HCFCs in China will have a crucial impact on the HCFCs phase-out in the world.