The Montreal Protocol’s Triumph and Kigali Amendment’s Promise: A World Ozone Day Reflection
The Montreal Protocol is rightly hailed as a multilateralism success story. It united the world to phase out ozone-depleting substances putting the ozone layer on the path to recovery and protecting all life on Earth. On the World Ozone Day, the world also celebrates its climate action.
Phasing out ozone-depleting substances has proven to be a powerful tool for climate action that has helped slow global warming, for example, postponing the first ice-free Arctic summer by up to 15 years.
Through the Kigali Amendment, climate action is being further accelerated. Countries commit to phasing down the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) – powerful climate-warming gases that replaced ozone-depleting substances in various sectors. If the Amendment is fully ratified and implemented, up to 0.5°C of warming could be avoided by 2100.
Cooling equipment represents 20 percent of total electricity consumption today and is expected to more than double by 2050. Kigali Amendment implementation and switching to energy-efficient cooling equipment could double these gains!
Work has already begun to deliver on these climate action gains. Nearly 80 percent of Parties have ratified the Kigali Amendment, including the US, China, and India—all major producers or consumers of HFCs. Developed countries began phasing down HFCs in 2019, with many developing countries starting this year.
World Ozone Day commemorates past achievements and anticipates future action under the Montreal Protocol, focusing on ozone layer protection, climate change, and planet protection.
