$540m pledged to phase-out fight
29th November 2017
CANADA: Developing countries are to receive US$540m between 2018 and 2020 to initiate the phase-down of HFCs under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.
The funds, which will also go towards continued work in phasing out ozone-depleting HCFCs, will be provided by developed countries through the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol. The fund so far has disbursed over $3.7bn since 1991 to support developing countries to phase out chemicals that destroy the ozone layer.
Montreal Protocol parties made the funding commitment during the joint 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention and the 29th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol held in Montreal last week.
The meeting also urged parties that have not yet ratified the Kigali Amendment to consider doing so. The Amendment, which has now been ratified by 22 parties, is set to enter into force on 1 January 2019, requiring the nations of the world to gradually phase down HFCs by more than 80% over the next 30 years.
Energy efficiency
The parties requested the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel of the Montreal Protocol (TEAP) to assess the technology options for enhancing energy efficiency of appliances and equipment in the refrigeration and air conditioning sectors while phasing down HFCs under the Kigali Amendment.
The panel will also assess the challenges for the uptake of those technologies, their long-term sustainable performance and viability, their environmental benefits, and related costs.
The parties also requested regular updates on the safety standards relevant to the use of flammable low GWP alternatives to HFCs, in consultation with relevant standardisation organisations.
