18 October 2016 18.10.2016 - As part of global efforts to prevent Climate Change, at the 28th meeting of the parties to the Montreal Protocol held in Rwanda, over 150 countries reached an agreement described as monumental to gradually reduce gases that cause global warming. The agreement mainly concerns HFC gases released from the use of household electrical appliances such as refrigerators and air conditioners. Delegates accepted a complex amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which foresees the reduction of HFCs by developed countries starting from 2019. However, some critics say that the compromise reached may have less effect than expected.
The new agreement foresees three paths to be followed by different countries. Thus, countries with developed economies, such as those of the European Union and the United States, will begin to limit the use of HFCs within a few years, and by 2019 they should reduce this use to 10 percent.
Developing countries, such as China or those in Latin America, will stop using HFCs starting from 2024. Meanwhile, other countries such as India, Pakistan, Iran, and Iraq will do the same starting from 2028.