Brussels, 04/04/2016 (Agence Europe) - The EU is looking for progress to be made in the international negotiations being held in Geneva (4-8 April) on amending the Montreal Protocol, the international agreement on substances which damage the Earth's ozone layer, to include hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
HFCs are industrial gases which have a strong greenhouse effect. They are used as substitutes for ozone-depleting substances in a range of applications such as air conditioning systems, fridges, flame retardants, solvents and aerosols.
Agreement on HFCs under the Montreal Protocol is one of the EU's post COP 21 priorities set out in its 2016 climate diplomacy action plan (see EUROPE 11488). The European Commission is negotiating on behalf of the EU, which has proposed that the use and production of HFCs be reduced globally. In Dubai in 2015, the parties to the Montreal Protocol agreed to work towards an amendment in this direction (see EUROPE 11313).
“A global reduction in the use of HFCs will constitute a clear step forward in the fight against climate change. It is a quick and cost effective way of getting on track with the ambitious goals we set ourselves in Paris. This is why the EU is committed to working towards the adoption of an amendment to the Montreal Protocol this year”, said Climate Action and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete in a press release.
Progress must now be made to finalise this agreement. Solutions will have to be found to the few remaining challenges, high among which feature the concerns of countries with very hot climates where substitutes to HFCs are not always available.
The EU is flexible on the details of the amendment, providing the outcome is ambitious in reducing emissions in both developed and developing countries. The EU member states remain committed to providing additional financial and technical support to developing countries to help them comply with any HFC obligations agreed under the Montreal Protocol, the Commission states.
HFCs are potent greenhouse gases, with a global warming effect far greater than that of CO2, and may remain in the atmosphere for 15 years. Though they have contributed less than 1% to global warming thus far, HFC production, consumption and emissions are increasing by 8% per year. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)