The European Union has submitted aproposal to amend the Montreal Protocol to control HFCs

The EU move follows similar proposals submitted since 2009 by the USA, Canada, Mexico and Micronesia, and would significantly reduce HFCs in developed countries by following a phase-down schedule closely matching the EU F-Gas Regulation,

“The EU clearly expects developed countries to lead by example,” said Clare Perry, Head of Climate at the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). “The EU has upped the antesignificantly and is now calling on other developed countries to match it.”

In developing countries, the EU proposes a new approach, aimed at initially limiting the growth of HFCs,followed by an agreement to negotiate a phase-down schedule by 2020.

Ms Perry added: “The EU proposalis trying to be sensitive to the fact that HFCs are generally used to replaceozone-depleting HCFCs, which developing countries have only just begun tophase-out under the Montreal Protocol. For this reason, HFCs cannot be considered in isolation and this is the first proposal to try and address thatspecifically within an HFC amendment proposal – as such, it has the potential to unlock negotiations.”

The EU estimates global cumulative reductions in all countries would amount to 127 gigatonnes of CO₂-equivalen tover 40 years.

The EU proposal will be considered at the upcoming Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) in Parisin July, and again at the Meeting of the Parties in Dubai in November.

Full proposal HERE.pdf