The Environmentally Applied Refrigerant Technology Hub (EARTH) is a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center focused on transforming the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) sector to mitigate its substantial environmental impact. HVACR systems currently account for nearly 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, largely due to energy consumption and high-global-warming-potential (GWP) hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants—some of which are thousands of times more potent than CO₂.

EARTH brings together a diverse, interdisciplinary network of engineers, scientists, economists, policy experts, social scientists, and industry leaders to co-create a sustainable refrigerant lifecycle. This Innovation Ecosystem addresses three critical challenges: reducing HFC emissions, developing safe and climate-friendly replacement refrigerants, and improving energy efficiency across HVACR systems. In parallel, EARTH advances workforce development through strategic partnerships with community and technical colleges, tribal and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, and industry, with a focus on diversity and inclusion.

By integrating fundamental research, enabling technologies, and system-level testbeds, EARTH will accelerate adoption of next-generation refrigerant solutions, inform data-driven policy, and support broad industrial and societal transition—delivering measurable climate, economic, and workforce benefits across the U.S. and beyond.

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