22 September 2016: Leaders from over 100 countries announced the formation of a coalition and issued a statement calling for the adoption of an ambitious amendment on hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) to the Montreal Protocol when the Protocol’s 28th Meeting of the Parties (MOP) convenes in Kigali, Rwanda, from 10-14 October 2016. The meeting of high-level officials took place on 22 September 2016, in New York, US, and was hosted by US Secretary of State John Kerry.

In their ‘New York Declaration,’ the new ‘Coalition to Secure an Ambitious HFC Amendment’ calls for the MOP to adopt an HFC amendment that includes an early first reduction step for non-Article 5 parties (developed countries), an early freeze date for Article 5 parties (developing countries), and ambitious phase-down for all parties. The signatories of the Declaration and members of the Coalition include the 54 countries of the Africa Group, the European Union, Pacific Island Countries, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Switzerland, Uruguay and the US.

Also announced at the event were commitments from 16 donor countries and 19 philanthropists to provide US$80 million in assistance to Article 5 countries to implement an HFC amendment and improve energy efficiency. The 16 donor countries providing a combined US$27 million are Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and the US. The 19 philanthropists providing US$53 million are: Barr Foundation; Bill Gates; Children’s Investment Fund Foundation; ClimateWorks Foundation; David and Lucile Packard Foundation; Heising-Simons Foundation; Hewlett Foundation; John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Josh and Anita Bekenstein; John and Ann Doerr; Laura and John Arnold; Oak Foundation; Open Philanthropy Project; Pirojsha Godrej Foundation; Pisces Foundation; Sandler Foundation; Sea Change Foundation; Tom Steyer; and Wyss Foundation.

The Coalition’s Declaration was supplemented by another statement from over 500 companies and organizations and hundreds of sub-national governments calling for an early first reduction step for non-Article 5 countries and a freeze date for Article 5 countries “that is as early as practicable.” The collection of companies includes producers of HFCs, manufacturers of equipment that use them and end-users.

In addition, the US Department of Energy (DOE) published the results of a testing program to evaluate the performance of alternatives for two of the most common refrigerants currently used, HCFC-22 and HFC-410A, in rooftop air conditioning units under high ambient temperatures. DOE says that the results demonstrate that potential replacements perform just as well under high ambient temperature conditions. [US Government Press Release] [New York Declaration] [New York Donor Declaration on an HFC Amendment to the Montreal Protocol] [Alternative Refrigerant Evaluation for High-Ambient Temperature Environments: Rooftop Air Conditioners]