The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has called on the government to match or exceed future changes to European F-Gas regulations to control emissions of global-warming gases used in refrigeration and air conditioning.
Its Sixth Carbon Budget also wants the government to improve enforcement of the regulations and ban sales of refrigerant gas to the general public. The government advisory body notes that the EU is reviewing the F-Gas regulation with a view to strengthening measures, and it wants the UK to keep pace with that ambition, even from outside the union.
The committee is also calling for the Environment Agency to be ‘sufficiently resourced’ to carry out inspections and enforce the measures.
In addition, refrigerant-handling training should be improved, says the CCC. It recommends that the government consults with the industry to bring training up to date and ensure untrained individuals are not able to buy gas and carry out DIY work, such as topping up car air conditioning units.
