197 Countries Including India Agrees On Deal To Phase Down Use Of Climate-Damaging Refrigerants HFCs

In a major development to curb use of climate-damaging refrigerants, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), 197 countries agreed in Kigali, Rwanda to phase down the use of this super greenhouse gas.

According to the agreement, reached after the five-day long gruelling negotiation, the developed countries, including the US, Japan, Canada and west European nations, will reduce HFC use first, followed by China along with a large number of other developing countries.

AFP

India and nine other countries of South and West Asia, including Pakistan, Iran and Iraq, will follow suit. Overall, the agreement is expected to reduce the HFC use by 85% by 2045.

Under the agreed schedule, the developed countries, led by the US, will reduce HFC use by 85% by 2036 over a 2011-13 baseline.

China, which is the largest producer of HFCs in the world, will reduce HFC use by 80% by 2045 over the 2020-22 baseline.

India will reduce the use of HFCs by 85% over the 2024-26 baseline by 2047.

Freezing year for India will be 2028 - it means the country would peak its use of HFCs by 2028 and thereafter start phasing it down.

AFP

Developed countries have also agreed to provide enhanced funding support to developing countries under the Kigali deal on Montreal Protocol. Unlike the Paris Agreement on climate change, the Montreal Protocol amendment is legally binding.

Praising the Indian negotiating team for reaching at this historic deal to phase down the HFCs, Chandra Bhushan, deputy director general of the CSE said

"India went with a clear strategy and a proactive agenda to enhance the overall environmental ambition of the deal and to protect the nation's economic interests. The amendment finally agreed to not only protects India's economic interests, but also doubles the climate benefit compared to the previous Indian proposal. It will avoid HFC emissions equivalent to 70 billion tonne of CO2."

AFP

The Climate Action Network (CAN) - an umbrella organisation of a number of NGOs from across the globe - too welcomed the outcome from the Montreal Protocol talks in Kigali. It said the move was a critical step towards limiting global warming.

The deal - considered as the single biggest climate action of the year - came just weeks before leaders meet in Morocco for international climate talks (COP22), beginning November 7.