The PTAC units shown in the article look like something from the 1950s. Minisplits have been the way the world has done AC for a long long time now. It's interesting how foreign of a product it is in the US.
When I lived in the US I tried to get a minisplit and they wanted $4000 for a medium size unit! The same one where I live now is $400 installed.
The situation with R-22 (better known as "Freon" in the US) seems pretty messy and confusing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorodifluoromethane#Phaseout...
As far as I can tell, the import of the R-22 refrigerant itself wasn't banned until 2020.