62 // Policy
UNDP backing green HVAC&R technologies Having passed the required ratification threshold in November 2017, the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol will enter into force on 1 January 2019. Implementing agency UNDP is supporting the technology changes that will deliver the Kigali HFC phasedown targets. Accelerate Europe reports from Istanbul, where one of UNDP’s regional teams working on the Montreal Protocol is located. – By Eda Isaksson
T
he entry into force of the Montreal Protocol in 1989 represents one of the most significant steps the world has taken to protect the ozone layer. The Montreal Protocol phases out the p ro d u c tio n of nu me rous substances that are res ponsible for ozone depletion; starting with CFCs and later including HCFCs. 197 parties have ratified the treaty (which includes 196 states and the European Union). In October 2016, the parties adopted the Kigali Amendment to bring HFCs under the scope of the Montreal Protocol too. HFCs are widely seen as the world’s fastest-growing climate pollutant and are used in air conditioners and
refrigerators. Kigali sees developed countries take the lead on phasing down these potent 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 split into two groups. The first one – which includes China and African and Latin American nations – will freeze consumption of HFCs by 2024, with their first reduction steps starting in 2029. A second group including India, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and the Gulf countries will meet a later deadline, freezing their use of these gases in 2028 and reducing consumption from 2032.
Accelerate Europe // Spring 2018