The shocking truth is that when air conditioners release heat into the atmosphere, they morph into powerful greenhouse gasses. Take hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), for instance. Widely used in various cooling applications, they have a staggering potency that's 2,000 times that of our notorious villain, carbon dioxide (CO2). Unlike CO2, these refrigerants can't be recaptured or sequestered once they escape, making their long-term impact on global warming even scarier.