Progress on HCFC Reduction Marks Montreal Protocol Anniversary

July 27th, 2007

Countries will gather in September to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.
Argentina and Brazil jointly submitted proposals accelerating the phase-out of hydro chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) to strengthen the Montreal Protocol. Three small island and coastal states - Micronesia, Mauritius, and Mauritania - submitted similar proposals to avoid the dire consequences of climate change jeopardizing their existence. Additional proposals to accelerate the HCFC phase-out were submitted by the United States and jointly by Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland.

HCFCs are a group of chemicals used mainly as coolants in air conditioners and grocery stores, and to make insulating foams and other products. They are being used as temporary substitutes for chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other ozone-depleting substances that are even more dangerous to the ozone layer and climate system. HCFCs were intended to be replaced once superior substitutes became available.

Eliminating HCFCs could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 25 billion tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent—roughly five times the emissions reductions of the world’s climate treaty, the Kyoto Protocol. Some HCFCs are more than 1,000 times more powerful at warming the planet than carbon dioxide.

Leaders of many developed countries expressed support for the adjustments on June 7th at the G8 Summit Declaration, committing to “accelerating the phase-out of HCFCs in a way that supports energy efficiency and climate change objectives,” and noting that “Improving energy efficiency worldwide is the fastest, the most sustainable and the cheapest way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance energy security… [and] … could contribute to 80 percent of avoided greenhouse gases while substantially increasing security of supply.”

Argentina and Brazil are leading the push to strengthen the Montreal Protocol, along with a coalition of other developing countries focused on strengthening the Montreal Protocol to do its share to address climate change. The United States also submitted a proposal, and has been very supportive of efforts to strengthen the ozone layer and the climate benefits of the Montreal Protocol. With such leadership, the determined and persistent proponents of changing the Montreal Protocol are capable of changing the world.

This subject is close to my heart. The first software application we produced at ESS way back in 1994 was designed to enable organizations to minimize emissions of ozone depleting and global warming chemicals including CFC, and HCFC refrigerants. This software is still the leading application used and we currently have thousands of companies still using it today.
Whether or not the international community will come together to help evolve the Montreal Protocol into an effective climate treaty will be decided in September.

Tags: greenhouse gas emissions kyoto protocol montreal protocol ozone depleting substances

Entry Filed under: Greenhouse Gas Emissions