In an effort to combat climate change, the California government has devised plans to actively reduce the emissions of greenhouse gasses. While these plans are in place, California still struggles to work towards this goal in some areas. This can be partially attributed to sulfuryl fluoride, a lesser-known greenhouse gas that California is leading the nation in emitting.
In a recent study led by Johns Hopkins University, it was found that California far exceeds any other states in sulfuryl fluoride emissions. Specifically, the study notes that “California emits 60-85% of U.S. SO2F2 emissions” which is “equal to 5.5–12% of global SO2F2 emissions.” In order to reach this conclusion, Dylan C. Gaeta, lead author of the published study and Ph.D. candidate at Johns Hopkins, and Scot Miller, co-author and assistant professor of environmental health and engineering at Johns Hopkins, looked at 15,000 air samples collected from 2015-2019 in order to trace the emissions back to their major sources. The researchers also noted a motivation for taking this action, as sulfuryl fluoride has strong infrared absorption properties and a relatively long atmospheric lifespan, so the potential effect on global warming is significant.
The irony is that the California government had previously released the world’s first plan to achieve net zero carbon pollution by 2045. This plan, put in place in 2020, also included plans to cut air pollution by 71%, slash greenhouse gas emissions by 85%, and drop gas consumption by 94%. Additionally, the plan included the goal of creating four million new jobs in clean energy as well as saving Californians $200 billion in health costs. In regards to the plan, California Governor Gavin Newsom commented, “It’s the most ambitious set of climate goals of any jurisdiction in the world, and if adopted, it’ll spur an economic transformation akin to the industrial revolution.”
Even with this plan in place, why does California continue to emit this atmosphere-altering gas? The answer lies in another environmental issue that plagues many places in Southern California: termite infestations. According to Pest Gnome, a service that connects homeowners with professional service providers in pest issues, the state is at high risk for termite infestations. This is mostly due to the abundant wood resources, high humidity, and warm temperatures of the state in which these pests thrive. In the study led by Johns Hopkins, it is stated that sulfuryl fluoride is mostly used for structural fumigation purposes. In this process, a building is closed off, and a toxic gas is released into the space in order to exterminate termites and other pests that exist in the space. Once the process is finished, the gas is then vented out and released into the atmosphere. While there are disadvantages to sulfuryl fluoride, the study states that it was approved for fumigation purposes in 1959 due to its being less reactive and thus less ozone-depleting than its alternatives. With that being said, Miller notes that “California’s track record shows that it’s been looking at out-of-the-box, creative ways to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.” Knowing what the sources are will allow the state to make necessary changes in order for their ambitious plan to come to fruition.
