Colombia. The Second Committee of the Senate approved Bill 195 of 2018 through which Colombia ratifies the Kigali Amendment, which includes under the control of the Montreal Protocol, the reduction of the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) due to their significant effects on global warming.
"This is an important achievement for this last legislature and the remaining months of the current government because progress is being made in ratifying the Amendment before its entry into force on January 1, 2019," explained Environment Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo.
Kigali is the fifth amendment to the Montreal Protocol and was adopted on October 15, 2016 by the signatory countries of the protocol, an international convention signed 30 years ago that seeks the elimination of the production and consumption of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS).
As a signatory to this protocol, Colombia undertook to ratify this amendment, which seeks to control the production and consumption of HFCs, substances that do not deplete the ozone layer but are Greenhouse Gases and have been widely used as substitutes par excellence for Ozone Depleting Substances in refrigeration and domestic air conditioning, commercial and industrial; fixed fire extinguishing systems and in some applications such as solvents or propellants for aerosols.
The Colombian Association of Air Conditioning and Refrigeration – ACAIRE expressed its satisfaction with the approval of this bill. It should be noted in this regard, that for several years the refrigeration and air conditioning sector has been committed to the task of finding an alternative refrigerant that offers the least environmental impact taking into account different variables such as safety, availability and costs.
"In Colombia, the union permanently carries out training days with national and international experts with the aim of promoting efficient use and correct applications with new technologies that use alternative refrigerants that do not damage the ozone layer," said Claudia Sánchez, Executive Director of Acaire.
Importantly, by 2030 a total of 332.4 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent is estimated for the country.
"Under the Paris Agreement, Colombia has committed to reduce by 20% of its emissions by that year, which corresponds to 66.5 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. If we adopt the measures set out in the Kigali Amendment, it is estimated that by 2030 the potential emissions related to HFC consumption could be halved (from 17.9 million to 9.4 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent).
In addition, with the prompt ratification of this amendment, the country will be able to have access to technical and financial resources through the Multilateral Fund of the protocol to advance in the implementation of its commitments to reduce HFC consumption," explained Minister Murillo.
It is expected that in the coming weeks the bill will be discussed in the plenary of the Senate, before the end of the current legislature.
Source: Ministry of Environment.
