International. The 27th Meeting of the Parties (MOP 27) held from 1 to 5 November in Dubai, signalled a genuine hope of global phase-down in 2016 for countries to commit to addressing HFCs under the Montreal Protocol.
The ultimate goal, an amendment under the Montreal Protocol in 2016, now looks more encouraging with a contact group on HFCs, formed for the first time since the start of the meeting. A contact group is a formal meeting arrangement, that is, a mechanism in the process of negotiations necessary for the formation of agreements between countries.
After six consecutive years of proposals to amend the Montreal Protocol from several countries, this necessary step is hopeful to create greater clarity and cohesion. In recent years, some countries have strongly opposed the regulation of HFCs under the Montreal Protocol, so because everyone now agrees that this is the right way to tackle HFCs globally is an important step.
However, this only marks the beginning of negotiations and there is still a long way to go before finding agreement on all issues relating to the phase-out phase of HFCs. To get there, a series of meetings will be held during 2016, including an extraordinary MOP.
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