Kigali Amendment to Montreal Protocol

Why in news?

• Union Cabinet, on 18^th August 2021, approved ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol

About Montreal Protocol:

• It is a global agreement to protect the stratospheric ozone layer by phasing out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances (ODS).
• Signed 16 September 1987, it was made pursuant to the 1985 Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, which established the framework for international cooperation in addressing ozone depletion.
• The treaty is structured around several groups of halogenated hydrocarbons (eg: Chlorofluorocarbons, Hydrochlorofluorocarbons) that deplete stratospheric ozone.
• All of the ozone depleting substances controlled by the Montreal Protocol contains either chlorine or bromine.
• Substances containing only fluorine do not harm the ozone layer.

Success of Montreal protocol:

• The Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol have each been ratified by 196 nations and the European Union), making them the first universally ratified treaties in United Nations history
• As a result of the international agreement, the ozone hole in Antarctica is slowly recovering.
• Climate projections indicate that the ozone layer will return to 1980 levels between 2050 and 2070.

About Kigali Amendment

• After coming into force in 1989, the Montreal Protocol has undergone many amendments.
• The Kigali Amendment is the 8th amendment to Montreal Protocol
• It aims to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by curbing both their production and consumption.
• Target:
  • To achieve over 80% reduction in HFC consumption by 2047
  • This will curb a global increase of temperature by up to 0.5 degrees celsius by the end of the century.
• India will complete its phase-down of HFCs in four steps from 2032 onwards with a cumulative reduction of 10% in 2032, 20% in 2037, 30% in 2042 and 80% in 2047.

About HFCs

• Hydrofluorocarbons are organic compounds that contain fluorine and hydrogen atoms.
• They are specifically manufactured, unlike other greenhouse gases which are mostly waste/byproducts.
• They are used in air conditioning and as refrigerants.
• HFCs are used as replacements for chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) since they (HFCs) do not have any impact on the depletion of the ozone layer.
• HFCs pose no harm to the ozone layer because, unlike CFCs and HCFCs, they do not contain chlorine.
• However, HFCs are powerful greenhouse gases.
• Their potential to cause global warming is a thousand times more than other GHGs such as methane, carbon dioxide, etc.

PRACTICE QUESTION

Consider the following statements:

1. Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol focuses on the phasing out of production and consumption of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

2.India is not a party to the Montreal Protocol

3. Hydrofluorocarbons are used in air conditioning and as refrigerants.

Which of the statements given above is /are correct?

(a) 2 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 3 only

(d) 2 and 3 only

Answer