Marshall Islands first to ratify Kigali
3rd March 2017
MARSHALL ISLANDS: The Marshall Islands has become the first country to ratify the Kigali agreement to phase down HFCs under the Montreal Protocol.
The Marshall Islands parliament gave its approval to the Kigali amendment on Tuesday.
A chain of low-lying volcanic islands and coral atolls in the central Pacific Ocean, between Hawaii and the Philippines, the Marshall Islands, in a coalition led by Micronesia, was the first country to propose an HFC phase down.
The Kigali Amendment paves the way for the production and consumption of HFCs to be cut by more than 80% over the next 30 years.
Speaking after the approval, President Hilda Heine said: “My country will not survive without urgent action to cut emissions by every country and every sector of our economies, including HFCs. Our rapid ratification of the Kigali Amendment is yet another demonstration of our commitment to the Paris Agreement. We now need others to quickly do the same in order to help keep global temperature increases within 1.5°C. This deal is good for our people, the planet, and the profits of those that follow in our footsteps.”
