This may be the next question to ponder on following a recent determination that quantities of nitrogen trifluoride in the atmosphere are more than expected.

Nitrogen trifluoride is used to make liquid crystal flat-panel displays, thin-film solar cells and microcircuits. It is a greenhouse gas thought to be low risk for its global warming effect, as compared to carbon dioxide. Hence, it is not covered by the Kyoto Protocol, which governs the global movement to curb climate change.

But recent research funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a U.S. government space exploration agency, indicates a rethink may be in order. The research, done by La Jolla, California-based Scripps Institution of Oceanography, found that nitrogen trifluoride in the atmosphere has been increasing at a rate of 11 percent per year.

As of 2008, it has been measured at about 5,400 metric tons, increasing from an actual amount of 4,200 metric tons in 2006. Previous estimates placed the 2006 quantity at less than 1,200 metric tons.

These are said to be the first atmospheric measurements of nitrogen trifluoride. In a statement, NASA said the Scripps team analyzed air samples gathered during the past 30 years. “The researchers found concentrations of the gas rose from about 0.02 parts per trillion in 1978 to 0.454 parts per trillion in 2008,” it said on October 23. “The current observed rate of increase of nitrogen trifluoride in the atmosphere corresponds to emissions of about 16 percent of the amount of the gas produced globally.”

This seems to provide fresh impetus to a growing clamor to regulate the use of nitrogen trifluoride as part of the global efforts to curb climate change. The Kyoto Protocol is set to expire in 2012. A successor agreement is currently in the works, with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change set to finalize that process next year in Copenhagen.

According to NASA, nitrogen trifluoride is 17,000 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a global warming agent. It survives in the atmosphere about five times longer than carbon dioxide. “However, current nitrogen trifluoride emissions contribute only about 0.15 percent of the total global warming effect caused by current human-produced carbon dioxide emissions,” it noted.

Recently, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board approved a P1.72-billion climate change mitigation fund to be undertaken by the Land Bank of the Philippines. Called the Credit Line for Energy Efficiency and Climate Protection in the Philippines (CLEECP), it will be implemented from 2009 to 2012 with the view to lower annual carbon dioxide emissions up to 24 million tons through the use of alternative sources of energy in the country. The fund will be made available to the private sector, local government units, government-owned and –controlled corporations, and even national government agencies.

In announcing the new credit line, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ralph Recto said the main impact of the CLEECP would be in terms of energy savings, energy efficiency and reduction in the greenhouse gas emissions. Will he have to rethink the whole strategy by next year?

(Por Lara Jane M. Climaco, Balita, 24/10/2008)