Canada ratifies global agreement to reduce hydrofluorocarbons, a powerful greenhouse gas

Hydrofluorocarbons Source: ccacoalition.org

Canada recently published regulations to reduce hydrofluorocarbons consumption by 85%, by 2036

Canada is now among the first countries to ratify the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which will phase down powerful greenhouse gases, according to a Government of Canada press release.

Found in air conditioners and aerosols, hydrofluorocarbons—or HFCs—are thousands of times more powerful drivers of climate change than carbon dioxide.

Each year, hydrofluorocarbon sources emit the carbon-dioxide equivalent released by 300 coal-fired power plants. If left unchecked, hydrofluorocarbons could account for 10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

“The Montreal Protocol is a perfect example of how the environment and the economy go hand in hand. By improving energy efficiency and product performance and reducing environmental impacts, industry in Canada and around the world has made major progress in phasing out ozone-depleting substances over the past 30 years. We will do the same with hydrofluorocarbons,” said Catherine McKenna, minister of environment and climate change.

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Canada was one of the first countries to ratify the Montreal Protocol in 1987, a historic international agreement that has eliminated over 99 per cent of substances that were thinning the earth’s protective ozone layer.

By 2010, the Montreal Protocol had already prevented the equivalent of over 135 billion tonnes of carbon-dioxide emissions, about the same amount Canada would produce in 175 years.

By reducing HFCs, we will reduce the future impacts of climate change such as sea-level rise, droughts, and floods.

Further, by phasing out HFCs and shifting to cleaner alternatives, scientists believe we could avoid half-a-degree Celsius of warming by the end of the century.

To succeed in phasing down HFCs, Canada recently published regulations to reduce its HFC consumption by 85 per  cent, by 2036.

This measure not only upholds our commitment to the Kigali Amendment but to our made-in-Canada climate plan as well.

This week, the Canadian delegation heads to the 23^rd session of the Conference of the Parties, in Bonn, Germany, and Minister McKenna will join them from Nov. 13 to 16.

While in Bonn, the Minister and the delegation will work to advance the implementation of the Paris Agreement and urge more countries to ratify the Kigali Amendment.

A Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol will be held Nov. 20 to 24, in Montréal.

Canada continues to deliver on its commitment to working globally to advance the implementation of the Paris Agreement, taking action to build a clean economy and create more opportunities for middle-class Canadians.