On the right track

India has done well to ratify the Montreal accord amendment

The government’s decision to ratify the amendment to the Montreal accord on phasing out ozone-depleting and environmentally-injurious substances used in the refrigeration industry has come at an opportune time. It precedes the United Nations 26th summit (COP 26) on climate change to be held in November at Glasgow (UK). This move, moreover, conforms to the assurance given recently by India to the UK, the host and chair of the COP 26, to play an active and constructive role in the forthcoming meet. India is among the few countries which are on course to hit their targets under the Paris accord on mitigating global warming. 

India has been a party to the adoption of the amendment to the Montreal Protocol at Kigali (Rwanda) in 2016 that called for gradual elimination of the hazardous chemicals commonly used as cooling agents. These substances mostly fall in the category of hydro-fluorocarbons (HFCs) which are injurious to the earth’s ozone layer that protects it from the harmful ultra-violet radiation coming from the sun. Though HFCs were introduced as non-ozone depleting alternatives to the relatively more hazardous Hydro-chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), the objective was not fully served as they were found to emit highly potent greenhouse gases (GHGs). The aim now is to replace all these chemicals with safer substitutes. 
 

A national strategy to discontinue the use of HFCs is proposed to be crafted by 2023 in consultation with the various stakeholders. Indications are that this would involve a four-phased cutback schedule aimed at a cumulative reduction of 10 per cent by 2032, 20 per cent by 2037, 30 per cent by 2042 and 85 per cent by 2047— in line with the target of eliminating them by the late 2040s. Incidentally, the local refrigeration industry, which had earlier been demanding financial and technical assistance from the developed countries, now seems ready to fend for itself with indigenous research and development (R&D) effort. In fact, they feel that the local evolution and manufacture of new substances would generate additional employment and income opportunities within the country. Besides, the locally fabricated products would be ideally suited to local conditions.  

Significantly, the elimination of HFCs at the global level is estimated to stave off GHG emissions equivalent to around 105 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. More importantly, it would help avoid up to 0.5 degrees Celsius rise in temperature by the end of this century even while allowing the ozone layer to repair itself. This process has, in fact, already begun thanks to the Montreal pact, which has proved, by far, the most successful of all the climate-related global treaties. For India, the notable gain would be the opening of the door for indigenous production of equipment as well as cooling agents, which are non-HFC and have low global warming potential. The next generation refrigerants and refrigeration technology is expected to involve the use of relatively safer chemicals like hydro-fluoro-olefins (HFOs) or admixtures of HFCs and HFOs. Moreover, the upcoming R&D might also make greater use of natural coolants, such as butane, propane and ammonia that already exist in the environment. However, the technology developers would need to focus more on improving the energy efficiency of the cooling equipment to bring down their operational cost and make them more environment-friendly.