OBAMA SIGNS HFC AGREEMENTS WITH CHINA, G-20 NATIONS

Tamar Hallerman
GHG Monitor
9/13/13

President Barack Obama signed a pair of agreements with the G-20 countries and China late last week aimed at paring down the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). The White House said the accords express support for bi- and multilateral initiatives phasing down HFCs, especially those that use the framework established under the 1987 Montreal Protocol. “We will continue to include HFCs within the scope of [the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change] and its Kyoto Protocol for accounting and reporting of emissions,” the agreements state. Both were signed on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit last week in St. Petersburg, Russia.

HFCs are a potent greenhouse gas used most commonly as refrigerants. While they do not deplete the earth’s stratospheric ozone layer, their use has grown rapidly over the last two decades since they are frequently used as a replacement for other ozone-depleting substances being phased out under the Montreal Protocol. The U.S., Canada and Mexico have for years pushed an amendment to the agreement that would gradually phase down the production and consumption of HFCs, which the White House said if left unabated could grow to nearly 20 percent of CO2 emissions by mid-century. Under that North American plan, the world’s developed countries would lead the phase-down, providing technical and financial support to developing nations that would later follow. The White House previously said that such a global phasedown of HFCs could reduce about 90 gigatons of CO2 equivalent by 2050, equal to roughly two years worth of current global greenhouse gas emissions.

Agreement Builds on Previous U.S.-China Accord

Last week’s agreement with China builds on an accord Obama signed with Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this summer in which the two nations agreed to “establish a contact group under the Montreal Protocol on HFCs to consider issues related to cost-effectiveness, financial and technology support, safety, environmental benefits and an amendment to the Montreal Protocol.” The U.S. and China’s agreement states, “We emphasize the importance of the Montreal Protocol, including as a next step through the establishment of an open-ended contact group to consider all relevant issues, including financial and technology support to Article 5 developing countries, cost effectiveness, safety of substitutes, environmental benefits and an amendment. We reiterate our firm commitment to work together and with other countries to agree on a multilateral solution.”