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IB ESS HL 6.4.12 HFCs Question Bank

Practise IB ESS HL 006.004.012 by applying hfcs concepts to exam-style environmental systems questions.

Syllabus
First assessment 2026
Course
ESS HL
Level
HL

Exam points

  • identify the relevant environmental system, process or evidence
  • apply the correct ESS concept and explain the causal relationship
  • evaluate the outcome using ecological, social or management evidence

6.4.12 (HL)—HFCs question 1

[Maximum number: 2]
Figure: Comparison of the effects of CFCs, HCFCs and HFCs

Figure:Comparison of the effects of CFCs, HCFCs and HFCs

Figure: HCFCs and HFCs cause less damage than CFCs but still affect the environment

Figure:HCFCs and HFCs cause less damage than CFCs but still affect the environment

The hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica, discovered in the 1980s, was caused by chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). The Montreal Protocol requires the use of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) or hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) instead of CFCs (Figure: Comparison of the effects of CFCs, HCFCs and HFCs). However, these two gases are also linked to environmental problems (Figure: HCFCs and HFCs cause less damage than CFCs but still affect the environment).

Outline why governments agreed to phase out the use of HFCs from 2019 in the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.

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