Nations make progress over phasing out HFCs

As many as 196 countries, including India, that are parties to the Montreal Protocol today wound up their negotiations with progress reported on an amendment to phase down super potent climate pollutants to reduce global warming.
The countries came together on a compact table that captured the range of dates under consideration for the first key steps - freezing Hydrofluorocarbons' growth in developing countries and beginning reductions in developed countries.
Critically, nearly 100 developing and developed countries - the African Group, Pacific Island countries, leading Latin American and Caribbean countries, US, European Union, Japan, and other OECD countries - joined in calling for an ambitious early freeze on HFC growth in developing countries in 2021.

India, however, took a different line and proposed that the developed countries go earlier and developed countries join them when the former have reduced HFCs by 70 per cent.
The proposal met with mixed responses at the convention with China and Kuwait voicing support for the same.
While the vast majority of countries - from China (the largest HFC producer) to the smallest island nations - showed flexibility and willingness to advance the pace of action, India stuck to its original proposal, which would allow developing countries' HFC production and use to grow sharply for 15 years until a freeze kicks in 2031.

The Montreal Protocol is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion.

HFCs are used as coolants in air-conditioners and refrigerators. While HFCs do not deplete the ozone layer, most of them are potent greenhouse gases.
The UN officials are expecting more negotiations ahead to clarify baselines, resolve these differences in the timing of the freeze, work out the phase-down steps to follow and agree on financial support for developing country transition costs, provided through the Multilateral Fund (MLF).
The final agreement is scheduled to be signed off in Kigali, Rwanda in October this year.

Besides, proposing a different line than other countries about the reduction schedule, India also cited lack of verifiable data on HFCs and pitched for improving the transparency in formulation of new guidelines and flexibility of the Multilateral Fund.