Kigali Amendment and India's "cleaner gases" plan

India has ratified the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, taking a lead in climate action leadership.

 Kigali Amendment and India's "cleaner gases" plan

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• The story: India ratified the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer. This paved the way for phasing down on hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a group of warming gases a thousand times more potent than carbon dioxide.
• Kigali amendment: The "Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol" has the potential to avoid 0.5°C of warming of the atmosphere by the end of the century by phasing out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).

1. HFCs are harmful greenhouse gases, used in air-conditioners and refrigerators, as an alternative to ozone-depleting gases hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
2. The "Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol" has the potential to avoid 0.5°C of warming of the atmosphere by the end of the century.
3. India’s ratification came after China's, and the United States', and will be the 123rd ratification of the important treaty amendment.
4. India's commitment to mitigating climate change is in clear display, ahead of the United Nations climate change conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland in October 2021.

• What the world thinks: Experts say India’s Kigali Amendment ratification is among the most significant of any country, and brings the world to the cusp of universal ratification among the world’s biggest economies.

1. India was one of the first countries in the world to launch a cooling action plan in 2019. The plan is linked to the economic growth and need for cooling and refrigeration over the next few decades.
2. This plan is aimed at reducing cooling demand, enabling refrigerant transition, enhancing energy efficiency and better technology options with a 20-year time horizon. The signing of the Kigali Amendment is a signal to markets to make a faster transition from HFCs to cleaner gases.
3. The Montreal Protocol had realised the need for phasing out HFCs responsible for the depletion of the Ozone layer. The Kigali Amendment has resulted in the agreement of phasing out the HFCs in a timebound manner. Many HFCs have dangerously high global warming potential. India’s ratification is hence important.

• Markets to read: India is not obliged to begin phasing down HFCs before 2028, but the ratification would offer clarity to air-conditioning and refrigeration industries to develop more efficient and climate-friendly cooling technologies. The ratification would signify that India is ready to compete in the market for low-global warming potential GWP (climate-friendly) refrigerants, which will spur domestic innovation and attract international investments.
• Domestic innovation: India proved its climate leadership by ratifying the Kigali Amendment. So a big opportunity opens for early phasedown of HFCs, through domestic innovation. That may also make the Indian industry globally competitive in climate-friendly cooling products. India is among a small group of countries on track to meet its climate commitments under the Paris Agreement.
• IPCC AR6 August 2021: The latest IPCC report on climate change portrayed a grim scenario, and cautioned that the 1.5°C global warming threshold is likely to be breached in the next 10-to-20 years in all emission scenarios, including the one where carbon dioxide emissions decline. India's ratification puts New Delhi in a position of strength at the Montreal Protocol, and will help bolster India’s efforts to establish smart policies and bylaws, including on energy efficiency, while phasing down HFCs.
• Summary: India has moved forward with implementing the India Cooling Action Plan, setting domestic targets for cooling efficiency and refrigerants, but they may not be enough by themselves for India to meet Kigali timelines. The ratification would help lay a clear policy framework to prevent imports that utilise highly potent (high-GWP) HFCs, such as R-134a, R410a, and R-404a.

 

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