The overwhelming  majority of climate scientists  not only believe in global warming, but believe human activity is to blame. Whether you personally believe this or not, government bodies do. Over the past 30 years, international and national regulatory agencies have responded with legislation that fosters a more sustainable planet. And the attempt to phase out harmful chemicals—including refrigerants—has been constant. A brief history of legislation In 1987, the  Montreal Protocol  marked the first set of requirements to champion the global phase-out of ozone-depleting substances. A decade later came the adoption of the  Kyoto Protocol , another international agreement to reduce chemicals harmful to the environment. The Montreal Protocol has been amended several times over the years, including provisions to completely eliminate the common  low-temperature refrigerant R-22  by 2030. R-22 is widely used in food plants and cold storage facilities. The Environmental Protection Agency describes R-22’s harmfulness: Unfortunately for the environment, releases of R-22, such as those from leaks, contribute to ozone depletion. In addition, R-22 is a greenhouse gas and the manufacture of R-22 results in a by-product (HFC-23) that contributes significantly to global warming. In March of this year, President Obama signed an  Executive Order  to cut federal agencies’ greenhouse gas emissions, including a commitment to “purchasing sustainable products and services identified by EPA programs.” In April 2015, the EPA issued the revised Significant New Alternative Policy’s (SNAP) proposed regulatory changes that  move up the phase-out date of a significant number of synthetic refrigerants that are widely used today to 2016. The justification for rule change: commercially viable alternatives exist today that pose significantly less risk to the environment. Those include natural refrigerants—NH3, CO2 and hydrocarbons. Ammonia as an alternative Ammonia, a natural refrigerant, has long been one of the most highly used refrigerants in large, industrial applications […]