VOA新闻杂志2024--Rising Demand for Cooling Systems in Africa Fuels Environmental Concerns

Rising demand for cooling systems in Nigeria and other African nations might be making existing pollution problems worse.

Cooling systems use gases called refrigerants. Such gases can affect the atmosphere if they escape. Some of these pollutants¹ have been found to be more harmful than other kinds of greenhouse gases.

The Nigerian government has approved restrictions² on the release of refrigerant gases into the environment. But enforcement efforts for the laws have been difficult.

Abiodun Ajeigbe leads an air conditioning business for Samsung, West Africa. He told The Associated Press (AP), "Those laws, those rules, nobody enforces them."

Ajeigbe said one of the biggest problems is a lack of effective education and training about the possible harms of refrigerants. This means many cooling system installers might not follow legal requirements when removing old systems or putting new ones in.

Some trained workers do follow environmental rules governing the use of cooling refrigerants. But these kinds of installations cost more.

Industry experts and public records suggest the most common air conditioning systems in Africa use a kind of gas known by the trade name R-22. This refrigerant is said to be less harmful to the environment than older cooling chemicals known as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). CFC's have largely been removed from most modern cooling systems. That change was put in motion by the 1987 Montreal Protocol³ environmental treaty.

A document from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says R-22 is considered many times more damaging to the world's climate than carbon dioxide. For example, about one-half kilogram of R-22 is said to equal one ton of carbon dioxide, the most common greenhouse gas.

However, while carbon dioxide can stay in the atmosphere for more than 200 years, R-22 stays for about 12 years. R-22 cooling equipment is not as energy efficient as some other systems. And most of the electricity used to power R-22 coolers in Africa requires carbon-based fuels.

Nigeria is planning to ban R-22 refrigerants by January 1, 2030. But without enough enforcement, that target is not likely to be met, Samsung's Ajeigbe told the AP.

Some cooling systems use a group of refrigerants called hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). These do not harm the ozone⁴ layer and are more energy efficient. But HFCs are said to be strong greenhouse gases and account for an estimated 2 percent of all human-caused warming in the atmosphere.

One of the most harmful HFCs, called R-410A, is used in the second most common kind of air conditioners in Africa, the AP reported. Sellers and installers of cooling equipment in Nigeria told the news agency that although HFC systems are less damaging to the environment, they are more costly⁵ to operate.

The same issues are affecting countries beyond Nigeria. In Ghana, the cooling industry also struggles to get companies and workers to obey current environmental rules.

Environmental officials in Ghana told the AP that "poor servicing practices" for cooling systems are common across the country. This is largely the result of the public choosing lower-trained installers who might not follow recommended standards.

In Kenya, demand for cooling systems is also growing as the population grows and electricity becomes more widely available. Cooling systems using R-22 are still common across the country. But the nation's Environmental Management Authority told the AP there have not been any new imports of the systems since 2021.

Workers dealing⁶ with cooling systems and refrigerants are required to get a license⁷. But several installation workers told the AP that since such requirements are hard to enforce, environmentally unsafe methods are carried out.

Words in This Story

greenhouse gases - n. gases in the Earth's atmosphere that can trap heat

install - v. put a piece of equipment somewhere and make it ready to use

efficient - adj. working well and not wasting time or energy

ozone layer - n. the layer of ozone high above the Earth's surface that prevents much of the ultraviolet radiation from the sun from reaching Earth's surface

standard -n. an accepted way of doing something that is agreed upon by industry or government officials

license -n. official permission to do an activity, such as driving a car, that usually involves a document

1 pollutants   

污染物质（尤指工业废物）( pollutant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Pollutants are constantly being released into the atmosphere. 污染物质正在不断地被排放到大气中去。
• The 1987 Amendments limit 301(g) discharges to a few well-studied nonconventional pollutants. 1987年的修正案把第301条（g）的普通排放限制施加在一些认真研究过的几种非常规污染物上。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

2 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

3 protocol   

n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节

参考例句：

• We must observe the correct protocol.我们必须遵守应有的礼仪。
• The statesmen signed a protocol.那些政治家签了议定书。

4 ozone   

n.臭氧，新鲜空气

参考例句：

• The ozone layer is a protective layer around the planet Earth.臭氧层是地球的保护层。
• The capacity of ozone can adjust according of requirement.臭氧的产量可根据需要或调节。

5 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

6 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

7 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。