Montreal meeting agrees to accelerate 'freeze and phase-out' of ozone and climate-damaging substances
Federal Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel has welcomed the deal reached at the 19th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, describing it as a major contribution to swifter recovery of the ozone layer and also to climate protection. Minister Gabriel stressed that the positive cooperation between industrialised and developing countries had contributed to the meeting's success, with nations signing up to a deal which greatly accelerates the phase-out of the production and consumption of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs).
HCFCs are used, among other things, as coolants in refrigeration units and air conditioning systems. Their production and consumption are currently increasing dramatically as a result of the soaring demand for cooling and air conditioning systems, especially in the developing countries. HCFCs deplete the ozone layer and, as powerful greenhouse gases, also contribute significantly to climate change; indeed, they are almost 2000 times more potent than CO2.
Federal Environment Minister Gabriel explains: "At Heiligendamm, the G8 countries agreed to work for a more rapid phase-out of HCFCs. However, the fact that an agreement has been achieved so soon afterwards, at Montreal, is due largely to the willingness of the developing and newly industrialising countries to adopt concrete phase-out commitments. China in particular, as the world's largest producer and consumer of HCFCs, has made a major contribution to this success. We aim to capitalise on the industrialised and developing countries' willingness to cooperate that has been demonstrated at Montreal, so that we can also make ground-breaking decisions at the Climate Change Conference in Bali in December."
Under the deal reached in Montreal, developing countries have committed to freezing the production and consumption of HCFCs at the 2009/10 level in 2013 with further phased cuts (10% by 2015, 35% by 2020, and 67.5% by 2025) leading to a total phase-out by 2030, aside from a small percentage allowed for the maintenance of old equipment. Under the previous arrangements, developing countries had committed only to freezing consumption from 2016 onwards at the level reached by that date, with phase-out envisaged by 2040 with no interim reduction targets. The industrialised countries have also signed up to far tougher commitments: they must achieve cuts in production and consumption of 75% by 2010 and 90% by 2015 with a full phase-out by 2020 instead of 2030. The industrialised countries have also pledged financial support for the developing countries to assist with phase-out.
The 19th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, which took place in Montreal, coincided with the 20th anniversary of the Protocol, which was signed on 16 September 1987. The Protocol, which now has 191 parties and has thus achieved near-universal participation, is regarded as one of the most successful environmental agreements. With binding phase-out schedules and a financial support mechanism, the Protocol has resulted in a 95% reduction in the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances. Scientists therefore predict that the ozone layer will fully recover by 2065. As the ozone-depleting substances covered by the Protocol are also powerful greenhouse gases with a high global warming potential, the Protocol has also resulted in a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.