It feels as if the world is finally waking up to the fact that not only do we need to get rid of HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons) but that the solutions are there for the taking – we can chill out without heating up the planet.
Amid preparations for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change talks, the Montreal Protocol quietly announced a decision to fund China’s phase-out of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), a move which will keep eight billion tonnes of greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere, not far off China’s annual CO2 emissions
Our Climate Campaigner, Natasha Hurley, reports on the 18th Conference of the Parties (CoP18) to the UNFCCC in Qatar. While some progress was made including a deal on a 'Loss and Damage Mechanism' and acknowledgement of the need for HFC phase-out, an overall lack of urgency and mitigation pledges was disappointing.
I spent last week in Canada attending one of the regular meetings of the Montreal Protocol’s Multilateral Fund (MLF), the body established to help developing countries meet their commitments under the global ozone treaty