Secretary-General Welcomes Kigali Amendment to Climate Change Convention’s Montreal Protocol, Aimed at Limiting Near-term Warming of Planet

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General welcomes the adoption by Governments meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, of a critically important amendment to the Montreal Protocol phasing-down production and use of hydrofluorocarbons.  Hydrofluorocarbons are powerful, short-lived greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.  As hydrofluorocarbons are also the fastest-growing of all greenhouse gases, curbing their use will help limit near-term warming of the planet.

The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol builds on the strong global momentum for multilateral efforts to address climate change, including the landmark Paris Agreement, which will enter into force on 4 November; the adoption last week of a global, market-based mechanism for emission reductions by the international aviation industry; and other multilateral efforts under the United Nations Framework for Climate Change Convention process.

Adoption of the amendment on hydrofluorocarbons will provide considerable benefits in the coming decades and help advance the Sustainable Development Goals.  Significantly, the global phase-down of hydrofluorocarbons could avoid up to half a degree of global warming by the end of this century, providing a major boost for efforts to limit global temperature rise to well below 2°C, as stated in the Paris Agreement, and to pursue efforts towards 1.5°C.

The Secretary-General calls for continued collaboration and cooperation by all sectors of society in implementing these timely and much-needed agreements, to reduce the risks of climate change.