International.
Leaders of developed and developing countries adopted an amendment to the Montreal Protocol that could prevent global warming by 0.5 degrees Celsius by the year 2100.
Nearly 200 countries reached an unprecedented agreement to gradually reduce the production and use of HFCs.
The meeting held from October 8 to 14 in Kigali, capital of Rwanda, was called the Kigali agreement – which is legally binding on the 197 Parties to the Montreal Protocol – which sees developed countries to take the lead in the gradual reduction of these powerful greenhouse gases, starting with a 10% reduction in 2019 and delivering an 85% cut in 2036 (compared to the 2011-2013 baseline).
Developing countries are divided into two groups. The first of these – which includes China and African nations – will freeze HFC consumption by 2024, with its first stages of reduction starting in 2029. A second group that includes India, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and the Gulf countries will adapt to a later date, freezing the use of these gases in 2028 and reducing consumption from 2032.
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 next decade of the 40s all signatories of the Montreal Protocol will not consume more than 20% of their current levels.
Members also agreed to set up a funding fund for the reduction of HFCs, the cost of which is estimated at billions of euros.
