On Saturday, about 200 countries reached a historic agreement in Kigali to phase out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), some gases used in refrigeration, foam and aerosols, which have a strong impact on global warming.
The measure, an amendment to 1987 Montreal Pact, which includes the two largest economies in the world, China and the United States, comes after a week of talks and an intense night of negotiation in the Rwandan capital, and its implementation would avoid half a degree increase in temperature of the Earth during this century.
According to the United Nations Program for Environment (PENUMA), hydrofluorocarbons are one of the largest generating agents of the greenhouse effect, since they retain an amount of heat “thousands of times” higher than what is needed to trap carbon dioxide and remain in the atmosphere for a long time.
Emissions are growing at a rate of ten percent per year, especially in developing countries with a growing middle class and warm climates.
Under the agreement, called “Amendment of Kigali”, developed countries will begin to gradually decrease its use in 2019, while developing countries will freeze their consumption levels between 2024 and 2028.
The agreement provides exceptions for countries with high environmental temperatures, so that their rate of elimination is slower, although it is expected that by the end of the 2040s, all signatories of the Montreal Protocol consume no more than 20% of its current levels.
Members also agreed to create a fund for reducing HFCs, with estimated costs of billions of euros.
However, the exact amount for the fund will not be fixed until the next meeting, scheduled for 2017, in which priority will be given to aid for research equipment and development of affordable alternatives to these gases.
Currently, studies focus on substances that do not damage the ozone layer and have less impact on the climate.
According to the UNEP Executive Director, Erik Solheim, the amendment to the Montreal Protocol is “the world’s greatest contribution” to the agreements of the climate summit in Paris.
In this sense, the president of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, urged swift implementation of the amendment.
The faster we act, the lower financial costs. This is a clear sign that change is coming and will be available very soon,”
said Kagame.
The Montreal Protocol, which entered into force on 1 January 1989, was designed to protect the ozone layer by reducing the production and consumption of substances that wear it out.
According to the UN, the Protocol has achieved the elimination of 98% of these substances and prevented two million skin cancer cases a year.