We haven’t heard much lately about the hole in the Ozone Layer; that’s because the problem has largely been corrected. The invention of refrigeration and air conditioning had unintended consequences when refrigerant chemicals (chlorofluorocarbons) leaked into the atmosphere and began destroying the Ozone Layer at an alarming rate. The problem has largely been corrected by the substitution of hydrofluorocarbons as refrigerants.

It’s becoming likely that we’ll have to find a replacement for the replacement. It seems that hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) act as a “super greenhouse gas”, with a heat-trapping power 4,740 times more effective than carbon dioxide. Here’s a rundown on the latest from the Washington Post.

Two environmental crises have been successfully averted in recent decades–Acid Rain and Ozone Layer destruction. The ongoing Global Climate Change threat is bigger and much more affected by human activity. The potential solutions are also bigger and will obviously involve human lifestyle changes. But there are also silver linings in the search for clean, renewable energy–among them national security, energy self-sufficiency, huge economic profit for successful innovation, and the satisfaction of leaving our children a better future.