Flat screen TVs bad for Earth?
Gas used in production blamed for damaging atmosphere
July 06, 2008
FLAT screen TV sets look great, right?
But there is a problem.
It seems the rising popularity of the slim and sleek devices has not been good for the environment.
A gas used in their manufacture, nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), is being blamed for damaging the atmosphere, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
Almost half of the TV sets sold around the world so far this year have plasma or LCD flat screens.
The gas, estimated to be 17,000 times as powerful as carbon dioxide, is said to be accelerating global warming.
NF3 is not covered by the Kyoto protocol as it was produced in only tiny amounts when the treaty was signed in 1997.
Levels of this gas in the atmosphere have not been measured, but scientists say it is a concern and are calling for it to be included in any future emissions cutting agreement.
OUTPUT
Professor Michael Prather from the University of California said the output of the gas needed to be measured.
'It's the kind of gas that's made in huge amounts,' he was quoted as saying.
'Not only is it not in the Kyoto Treaty but you don't even have to report it. That's the part that worries me.'
He estimates 4,000 tons of NF3 will be produced in 2008 and that number is likely to double next year.
'We don't know what's emitted, but what they're producing every year dwarfs these giant coal-fired power plants that are like the biggest in the world,' he said.
'And it dwarfs two of the Kyoto gases. So the real question we don't know is how much is escaping and getting out.'
According to The Daily Telegraph, the gas produced is enough to match the annual carbon dioxide emissions of a country like Austria.
Prof Prather estimates that if the entire annual production of NF3 was released into the atmosphere it would have the equivalent effect on the Earth's climate as 67 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.
IMPACT
But another scientist, Dr Paul Fraser, said that without measuring the quantity of NF3 in the atmosphere it is unclear what impact it will have on the climate.
'We haven't observed it in the atmosphere. It's probably there in very low concentrations,' he was quoted as saying.
'The key to whether it's a problem or not is how much is released to the atmosphere.'
A UK government official was quoted as saying: 'This is an issue that affects every country, and we're working with other members of EU to ensure that all new synthetic greenhouse gases, including NF3, are covered as part of any future UN climate change agreements.
'We expect to be able to deal with this issue as part of a new global climate treaty in Copenhagen next year.'
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