ON July 1, Australia not only got a carbon tax, but also a tax on refrigerants 
based on their global warming potential. Refrigerants are used to keep things cool, for example, food in our refrigerators and people in cars and shopping centres.
The refrigerants industry is claiming the tax will significantly increase their costs.
The Australian government, however, claims that the new tax will simply encourage the use of alternative refrigerants which are less harmful for the environment. Indeed the relevant government website states:
“In many cases there are alternatives to synthetic greenhouse gases already in the Australian market. There are also low or non global warming alternatives in prospect for many applications.
Overseas and Australian experience is demonstrating that natural alternatives [to synthetic greenhouse gases] such as ammonia, carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons can be used safely and effectively.”
What? The Australian government is suggesting that carbon dioxide is, relatively speaking, not a potent greenhouse gas.
So, why in the scheme of things, relatively speaking, do we have a carbon tax?
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Thanks to Gary for his letter...
Hi Jennifer,
I am concerned that the Australian Public is not aware of the huge price hike in refrigerant gas prices due to the carbon tax.
Apparently the HFC’s that replaced the ozone depleting CFC’s are considered potent green house gasses and as a result of the clean energy bills are to be loaded with an equivalent carbon tax.
Until recently a 12Kg bottle of R134a could be purchased for a little less than $300. After a recent price rise with unknown cause the list price has increased to above $700. After July 1 the list price for the same 12Kg bottle will be $2181.84.
While each domestic refrigerator only holds less than ½ Kg of gas and the price of a domestic fridge will only have to increase by a small amount this is not the complete picture.
A car air conditioner holds about 1Kg and again the purchase price will rise by a small amount, however, the seals in a vehicle aircon are not perfect and it is common for them to require recharging a number of times throughout their life.
But the big crunch will be shopping centre air-conditioning and refrigeration where hundreds of kilos are used and very often due to many reasons gas charges are lost requiring complete replacement of the gas charge. The cost of a gas recharge could run into hundreds of thousands of dollars.
This price rise will inevitably cause a knock on effect for all fresh food as it all refrigerated.
Regards Gary
well as a typical human I'm about to experience climate change at it's most severe. I'll drive to Brisbane to see Donna Laframbois at around 19C then I'll board a plane and fly up to 43,000 ft at - 20C - travel at 800km/hr then land in Dubai where the average temp is 45C.
All the warming they are scaring us about is .8C.
And also John, if our Lovely Boy is up at that same GBR love fest I hope he reads this first just to improve his understanding of nat var:
http://hockeyschtick.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/natural-climate-change-drove-coral.html
It would be a terrible shame if Luke is missed this:
http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2012/2012JD017626.shtml
He would be absolutely thrilled to learn that one of his favourite subjects, SAM, is responsible for neg feedback and local cooling of ~2.5c.
All from a prestigious, peer-reviewed journal too.
I miss Luke too John. Blogs have their own 'family' and Luke is certainly a character in this one. But I speculate he may have been offered a redundancy, which he couldn't refuse, by Can-do Newman. If this is the case he will reappear, after a hiatus, because as an oldtimer in this new age I have found that one does not die any more, we simply blog away.
I think that every university Climate Change Studies Department should have a small, specially designed refrigerator that uses Radon-222 as the refrigerant. Why?
Because radon is not a Greenhouse Gas. The CC Studies Department's fridge would not be feeding the Flying CO2 Monster, and they would be setting a sterling example for the rest of us in that respect.
There's also a fringe benefit. Or is it a benefit for the fringe? The radioactivity would kill any microscopic beasties that were the least bit tempted to nosh on the vegan delights in the fridge.
Of course, the short half-life of Rn-222 would a fly in the ointment. Topping off the refrigerant every 3.8 days (and cleaning out the daughter products) would be a bit of a chore. But if it saves the planet, it's worth whatever cost is involved. And it would be an inspiring illustration of the Precautionary Principle in action. Any takers?
Actually there's 62.5gms/litre. Can you imagine how much CO2 Coca Cola produces?
Maybe wee need a new site claiming carbonated drinks is changing the climate.
John Sayers, oh gawd, I suppose the CO2 in my gin and tonics will also be hit!