20 November 2017: With the deposits of ratification by Sweden and Trinidad and Tobago on 17 November 2017, the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol has exceeded the 20-Party threshold for entry into force. Under the Amendment, all countries will gradually phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by more than 80% over the next 30 years and replace them with more environmentally-friendly alternatives. The ratifications were announced days before the opening of the 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention (COP 11) and the 29th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol (MOP 29), which are meeting jointly from 20-24 November 2017.

The Kigali Amendment was adopted on 15 October 2016, in Kigali, Rwanda, at the close of MOP 28. It stipulates that developed countries will begin reducing HFCs as early as 2019, while developing countries will start later. Phasing down HFCs under the Montreal Protocol is expected to avoid up to 0.5°C warming by the end of the century.

During MOP 29, which is taking place in Montreal, Canada, Parties will consider, inter alia: the Kigali Amendment; the Multilateral Fund (MLF) replenishment; issues related to Article 2 of the Protocol (general obligations), including nominations of critical use exemptions and nominations for essential use exemptions; use of controlled substances as process agents; energy efficiency; and safety standards relevant to low global-warming-potential alternatives. The COP will consider the report of the tenth meeting of the ozone research managers of the Parties to the Vienna Convention and the status of the general trust fund for financing activities on research and systematic observations relevant to the Convention.

The preparatory segment, convening from 20-22 November, will address financial reports and budgets of the trust funds for the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol, as well as the extension of the trust funds. During the high-level segment, the assessment panels and the Chair of the MLF Executive Committee will present on the status of their work. A high-level roundtable will identify future opportunities and priorities, and a science event titled, ‘The Science of Ozone Layer Depletion and Recovery: Reflections on the past, present and future,’ will convene. The high-level segment, from 23-24 November, will also address the report of the co-chairs of the preparatory segment and consider the decisions recommended for adoption by the COP and MOP.

In other related news, imports, exports and consumption of ozone-depleting substances (ODS) decreased in the EU in 2016, according to a report published by the European Environment Agency (EEA), which shows a continuous trend in phasing out ODS over the last decade. The report titled, ‘Ozone-depleting substances 2016,’ presents aggregated data reported by companies on the import, export, production, destruction, and feedstock and process agent use of ODS in the EU. The report concludes that in the EU, since 2015, imports of ODS decreased by 15%, exports decreased by 17%, production of ODS decreased by 1%, destruction of ODS decreased by 26%, and overall consumption decreased by 13%. The EU regulation covering ODS is more stringent than the Montreal Protocol’s rules and encompasses additional substances. [IISD RS Coverage of COP 11 and MOP 29] [Documents for COP 11 and MOP 29] [Kigali Amendment Website] [Status of Ratification of the Kigali Amendment] [European Environment Agency] [Ozone-depleting Substances 2016 Report]