Comment by robocat
SF6 is a significant greenhouse gas but what is troubling is that "SF6 is a very stable compound in the atmosphere, with an average residence time of about 3,200 years".
From https://www.energynetworks.org/assets/images/Resource%20libr... :
It is estimated that SF6 currently contributes about 0.2% of the global warming potential of the annual greenhouse gas emissions in the UK.
SF6 in electrical equipment is contained and not intentionally released during operation. Recycling of SF6 from electric power equipment, using commercial gas reclaimers, is becoming common practice [in the UK].
> About 1 percent of SF6 leaks from electrical equipment. In 2018, that translated to 8,200 tonnes of SF6 emitted globally, accounting for about 1 percent of the global-warming value that year.
There's something wrong with that figure. Global production was about 7500 tons in 1995, and countries have been trying to use less since then. 50% of production used in OEM equipment and 31% by Electric Utilities (maybe recharging breakers after inspections?). See: https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2016-02/documents/co...