The UK has today become one of the first nations to commit to a
landmark agreement to reduce emissions from appliances such as
air conditioning units and refrigerators that will play a major
role in preventing global warming.
The Kigali amendment to the UN Montreal Protocol commits nations
to reducing hydrofluorocarbon greenhouse gases (HFCs) by 85% between
2019 and 2036.
Harmful global greenhouse gases could be prevented by rising up
to 11% by 2050, thanks to a pioneering move by the UK to cut down
on harmful emissions from appliances such as air conditioning
units and refrigerators. The United Kingdom will be one of the
first countries to approve a landmark UN agreement which commits
to reducing HFCs by 85%
between 2019 and 2036.
The Montreal Protocol, the international treaty which this
agreement sits under, is already one of the most successful
treaties ever agreed, having successfully phased out 98% of ozone
depleting substances – including chlorofluorocarbons
(CFCs) and
hydrochlorofluorocarbons. As a result, the ozone layer is showing
the first signs of recovery.
The Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which the UK today
began the process of ratifying, goes even further and extends
targets to HFCs.
Although HFCs do not harm
the ozone layer, they have a global warming potential thousands
of times greater than carbon dioxide. Consequently this deal is
likely to avoid close to 0.5 degrees Celsius of global warming by
the end of this century, making it the most significant step yet
in achieving the Paris climate agreement goal of keeping
temperatures well below two degrees.
Environment Secretary said:
Adopting this ambitious target will mark the UK as a world
leader in tackling climate change. Not only will this deal
reduce global carbon emissions by the equivalent of around 70
billion tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2050 - the same as 600 coal
fired power stations would produce during that time – it will
also help to protect our health, our agriculture and the wider
environment.
The UK, along with the rest of the EU, has already begun to phase
down HFCsin accordance
with EU law which requires a cut of 79% in HFCs placed on
the EU market between 2015 and 2030.
The Montreal Protocol will result in an additional UK reduction
of equivalent to around 44 million tonnes of carbon dioxide
beyond what would be achieved under the EU Regulation alone. The
value of that carbon saving is estimated at around £1.56 billion
and the cost at around £390 million, representing a net benefit
to the UK of £1.17 billion.
