Europe will have a chief scientist, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has promised. He made the pledge in a 15 September speech at the opening of the newly elected European Parliament, which also voted to extend his presidency for a second term. Barroso added that he would review the way the commission uses scientific advice - a move welcomed by researchers. For more, see Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) inched closer to regulation as greenhouse gases under the Montreal Protocol, after the United States, Canada and Mexico joined a growing movement to amend the treaty. HFCs, which are used as refrigerants, were introduced to replace chemicals that destroy stratospheric ozone. Their regulation falls under the United Nations climate framework, but many say they could be phased out faster and more cheaply using the Montreal ozone treaty.
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