India to eliminate use of HFC-23 by 2030

•  India announced that it will eliminate the HFC-23 gas, a potent greenhouse gas with high global warming potential, as part of its commitment to combat the threat emanating from climate-damaging HFCs.
• The announcement came at a meeting of parties to the Montreal Protocol at Kigali in Rwanda where final negotiations are taking place to substantially reduce the use of HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons) by 2030.
• The Montreal Protocol, which came into force in 1989, is aimed at reducing the production and consumption of ozone depleting substances in order to protect the earth’s fragile ozone layer.
• HFC elimination before the year 2050 is estimated to prevent about 0.5 degree Celsius rise in average global temperatures by 2100, something that will help in meeting the target of keeping temperatures under 2 degrees celsius compared to pre-industrial times.
• India is the most important country still arguing for at least 10 more years of unhindered growth of its industry before beginning to make HFC-reductions. At the risk of isolating itself, even from traditional climate allies like China, Brazil or South Africa, India has been proposing a different phase-out schedule for itself, thereby effecting a divide within the developing countries bloc.

About HFC-23

• HFC-23, also known as trifluoromethane, is produced during the manufacture of a common refrigerant gas called HCFC-22, belonging to the hydrochlorofluorocarbon family. HFC-23 has 14,800 times more potential to cause global warming as compared to carbon dioxide.

About Montreal Protocol:

• Adopted in 1987, the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer legally enforces the phase-out of the production and use of ozone depleting substances - chemicals often used in refrigeration, air-conditioning, foam manufacturing, aerosol production, and fire extinguishing.
• The treaty's financial mechanism, the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol, has funded the incremental costs of compliance in developing countries since 1991, a task complemented by the Global Environment Facility in countries with economies in transition.
• The Montreal Protocol has, contributed to a significant drop in total global production and consumption of ozone depleting substances used in agricultural, consumer and industrial sectors around the world. It has also generated climate benefits as some of these substances are greenhouse gases, too.
• Since 2010, the agenda of the Protocol has focused on the phase-out of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), an ozone-depleting susbtance mainly used in cooling and refrigeration applications, and in the manufacture of foam products.
• In addition to the ozone benefit, the HCFC phase-out agenda strongly emphasizes climate mitigation and energy efficiency. Climate gains are achieved by using substances with lower or no global warming potential and, large energy efficiency improvements can be achieved through certain technology upgrades.

By: Vishal