text: Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) contain no chlorine. They are composed entirely of carbon, hydrogen, and fluorine. They have no known effects on the ozone layer; fluorine itself is not ozone-toxic. However, HFCs and perfluorocarbons (PFCs) are greenhouse gases, which cause global warming. Two groups of haloalkanes, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and perfluorocarbons, are targets of the Kyoto Protocol. Allan Thornton, President of the Environmental Investigation Agency, a non-governmental, environmental watchdog, says that HFCs are up to 12,500 times as potent as carbon dioxide in global warming. The higher global warming potential has two causes: HFCs remain in the atmosphere for long periods of time, and they have more chemical bonds than , which means that they are able to absorb more solar energy per molecule than carbon dioxide. Wealthy countries are clamping down on these gases. Thornton says that many countries are needlessly producing these chemicals just to get the carbon credits. Thus, as a result of carbon trading rules under the Kyoto Protocol, nearly half the credits from developing countries are from HFCs, with China scoring billions of dollars from catching and destroying HFCs that would be in the atmosphere as industrial byproducts.