Guterres urges full implementation of Kigali

USA: United Nations secretary general António Guterres has urged governments to fully ratify and implement the Kigali Amendment to phase down HFCs.

In a statement released today – the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer – Guterres reflects on the landmark “multilateral success” of the The Vienna Convention and its Montreal Protocol over the last 40 years.

“Today, the ozone layer is healing,” he says. “This achievement reminds us that when nations heed the warnings of science, progress is possible.”

However he warns that scientists are sounding the alarm once again, with global temperatures  pushing towards 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

“I urge governments to fully ratify and implement the Kigali Amendment to the Protocol. And I also urge them to reflect this commitment in their new national climate plans – or nationally determined contributions.

“Implementing the Kigali Amendment could avoid up to 0.5°C of warming by the end of the century.  Paired with energy-efficient cooling, we could double these gains,” he says.

“Every fraction of a degree matters.  Every action counts. On this World Ozone Day, let’s recommit to preserving our ozone layer and to protecting people and planet for generations to come.”