📘 Q.10 IAS Prelims 2023 — Environment & Ecology (Hydrofluorocarbons – HFCs)🧷 Authentic Classroom Explanation by IAS Monk
📌 The Question:
Consider the following:
- Aerosols
- Foam agents
- Fire retardants
- Lubricants
In the making of how many of the above are hydrofluorocarbons used?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) Only three
(d) All four
✅ Correct Answer: (d) All four
🧑🏫 Classroom Explanation
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are fully synthetic industrial chemicals, developed mainly as substitutes for ozone-depleting substances like CFCs and HCFCs.
They are widely used in:
- Aerosols – as propellants
- Foam agents – especially insulating foams
- Fire retardants / fire protection systems
- Lubricants – particularly synthetic lubricants used in HFC-based refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment
Thus, all four listed applications involve the use of HFCs.
⚡ Curiosity Raiser
A chemical that saved the ozone layer… but now threatens the climate 🌍🔥
📚 Enrich Notes (UPSC Edge)
- HFCs:
- Do not deplete ozone
- But have very high Global Warming Potential (GWP)
- Though only ~1% of total GHG emissions, their warming impact can be hundreds to thousands of times stronger than CO₂
- Kigali Amendment (2016) to the Montreal Protocol:
- Mandates >80% phase-down of HFCs by 2050
- Entered into force in 2019
🕊️ IAS Monk Whisper
“Every solution creates a new responsibility — climate remembers everything.”