Posts Tagged ‘protocol’

China and Montreal Protocol Team Up for Fast Climate Protection Equivalent of 8 billion tonnes of CO2 will be eliminated in China Bargain price less than 5 cents a tonne over 17 years

Posted by admin on April 26th, 2013

Washington, DC – The Multilateral Fund of the Montreal Protocol will provide China $ 385 million over the next 17 years to completely eliminate its industrial production of HCFCs by 2030.  HCFCs are industrial gases used in refrigeration, air conditioning, and insulating foams that both warm the climate and destroy the ozone layer.


“The Montreal Protocol once again demonstrated how important it is for climate protection by striking a deal with China this week to cut the equivalent of 8 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions—for the bargain basement price of less than 5 cents a tonne,” said Durwood Zaelke, President of the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development.  “This is about the same climate mitigation as all the parties to the Kyoto Protocol have achieved through the first phase of that treaty.”


Zaelke noted that “the deal with China also provides significant protection for the stratospheric ozone layer and helps reduce skin cancers, cataracts, and suppression of the human immune system.”


Under the deal, the funding mechanism of the Montreal Protocol, the Multilateral Fund, is required to pay the “incremental costs” for developing countries making the transition from harmful HCFCs to more environmentally friendly substitutes.


China is the leading producer of HCFCs, with more than 90% of the capacity in developing countries, supplying much of the world’s needs in the refrigeration, air conditioning, and insulating foam sectors.


The Multilateral Fund will cover China’s cost of closing and dismantling its HCFC production facilities, which will include $ 95 million to cover the first stage of its HCFC phase-out plan.  China is taking these steps to meet its mandatory mitigation requirements under the Montreal Protocol’s decision in 2007 to accelerate the phase out of HCFC specifically for climate protection, as well as ozone protection.


“The phase-out of HCFC production in China means that all the developing countries will comply with the Montreal Protocol and that the Protocol will continue as the world’s best environmental treaty, and best climate treaty,” added Zaelke.


“China’s willingness to accelerate its phase out of HCFCs is a positive sign we hope will be matched by its willingness to avoid moving into the super greenhouse gas HFCs as replacements,” Zaelke said.  “Such a move would cancel the climate benefit, and be a major setback for the Montreal Protocol.”


The China deal comes only a week after the Federated States of Micronesia and the Kingdom of Morocco on April 16 formally filed a proposal to use the Montreal Protocol treaty to phase down the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), super-greenhouse gases that have global warming potentials hundreds to thousands of times higher than carbon dioxide, and have been the leading replacement for HCFCs in the developed countries. The North American parties, including the United States, Canada and Mexico, filed a similar proposal to phase down HFCs.  Both proposals would reduce HFCs by 85-90%, and provide the equivalent of100 billion tonnes of CO2 in mitigation. Again, the cost would be pennies a tonne.


The proposals were filed two days after publication of research led by Dr. V. Ramanathan of Scripps Institution of Oceanography concluding that the rate of global warming could be cut in half by 2050, and sea level rise could be reduced by a quarter by the end of the century, through reductions of HFCs and other short lived-climate pollutants, including methane, tropospheric ozone, and black carbon.


“Reducing HFCs and the other SLCPs is critical for slowing both temperature increase and sea-level rise and similar impacts,” said Zaelke, “although cutting CO2 also is critical. “ Zaelke added that, “A failure to cut SLCPs will halt the impressive gains in poverty reduction of the past few decades, driving millions more into extreme poverty.”


Because three SLCPs are potent air pollutants, cutting them can save millions of lives every year, while significantly increasing crop yields, making this important for promoting sustainable development. In South Asia, for example, air pollution is the leading preventable cause of disease, according to a recent report by the World Health Organization.

***



The Micronesia and Morocco amendment is here.

The North American proposal is here.

A summary of the sea-level rise study is here.

The abstract of sea-level rise study is here.

IGSD’s Primer on SLCPs is here.


Contact Info: D. Zaelke (202) 498.2457, [email protected]
Erin Tulley (202) 338-1300, [email protected]

Website : Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development

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Doha UN Climate Conference Extends Kyoto Protocol to 2020

Posted by admin on December 10th, 2012

Doha’s UN Climate Conference has extended the Kyoto Protocol to 2020, and promised compensation to developing countries.

For the first time, the summit recognized that developed nations should compensate poorer nations for climate change losses. Potential recipients of this compensation hailed the decision as a breakthrough, but criticized the correlation between current scientific knowledge on climate change compared to political frameworks in place to address it.

Previously, rich nations had agreed to supplement moves by poorer nations to alternative energies, but never before has it recognized responsibility for the actual damage as a result of climate change.

Loss and Damage, a term coined in the final text, is a big breakthrough in principle, according to Martin Khor from a collection of 52 developing nations, known as the South Centre.

Agreed by almost 200 nations, the Kyoto Protocol is the only legally-binding strategy for tackling global warming, which will now be extended for another eight years. The deal includes Australia and Europe, whose greenhouse-gas emission contribution is under 15% of the world total.

Rich nations are encouraged to mobilize a minimum of $ 10 billion (£6 billion) annually until 2020, when a new global climate agreement binding developed and developing nations to address climate change together is due to take effect.

China, the EU and US consented the agreement with differing grades of reservation, while Russia, Belarus and Ukraine focused on additional permits for emission cuts made prior to their industries’ collapse.

Following a delay caused by the latter countries concerns the meeting was re-started by the, now extremely impatient, chairman and the agenda read through so quickly that Russia did not have a change to respond. Though Russia stated that this was an obvious break in procedure, the chairman refused to take no action further than to reveal Russia’s view in the final report.

Climate Change Compensation

Small island states, which are most at risk from severe climate change, considered the agreement to be “deeply deficient,” and voiced their concerns.

“It’s likely to lock us on the trajectory to a 3,4,5C rise in global temperatures, even though we agreed to keep the global average temperature rise of 1.5C to ensure survival of all islands,” a representative said.

He added that much of the talks were only promises that may or may not materialize, and asserted that those obstructing progress need to consider whether people on small islands will live at all, instead of how people on safer ground will live.

However, the small island states tolerated the agreement, as it was better than nothing.

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Led by Low-lying Island States, “Discussion Group” Formed on HFC Phase-down Under Montreal Protocol Islands get further support from climate vulnerable African countries “No Need to Reinvent the Wheel”

Posted by admin on November 16th, 2012

Geneva – Working in the shadow of the global climate negotiations, which resume later this month, the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Stratospheric Ozone Layer held their annual meeting in Geneva this week, wrapping up today.  First among their concerns has been how to control HFCs, factory-made super greenhouse gases that the Protocol has inadvertently encouraged companies to start using as substitutes for the chemicals the Protocol is phasing out, to the great detriment of the climate.


While China and India have remained reluctant to launch formal negotiations to phase down HFCs, the majority of Parties recognized the need for urgent action to slow climate change and agreed for the first time to establish a “discussion group” to address HFCs, a group of super greenhouse gases that are hundreds to thousands of times more powerful as warming agents than carbon dioxide. 


The Africa Group supported this move. Benin delegate, Mr. Marcos Wabi, president of the group confirmed that, “The African Group welcomes further discussion of phasing down HFCs under the Montreal Protocol.”


Many countries, including South Africa and Nigeria, suggested going further, supporting a “contact group” to launch formal negotiations.  South Africa noted that HFCs are amenable to a phase-down of their production and consumption, which is the approach taken by the Montreal Protocol, and suggested that the treaty was suitable for addressing HFCs. South Africa further noted that there is no need to “reinvent the wheel” by developing such a phase-down under the primary climate treaty, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which aims to reduce the downstream emissions of greenhouse gases, not to phase down their upstream production and use.


Referring to the HFC phase down proposals on the table at the negotiations, the delegate from Nigeria stated her hope that countries, would be able to, “make good progress on proposals that aim to control the emission of HFCs.”


The most impassioned plea for fast action on HFCs came from the Minister of Environment and Energy from the Republic of Maldives, Dr. Mariyam Shakeela, who stated:


It was revoltingly shocking to, to hear some countries say, that this is not the right forum to address this issue. Ladies and gentleman, for countries like Maldives, who are on the front line of climate change impacts every forum is a right forum. We have no choice. No time to spare. So please do not say that this is not the right forum to address what impacts global warming when actions that are promoted in this very forum has negative impacts on climate change affecting lives and livelihood. It is morally wrong not to acknowledge it and address it. … Montreal protocol, Ladies and gentleman, has been hailed for the tremendous climate benefits it has already achieved. Therefore, I urge those who are blind to the inherent link between ozone protection and climate change, not to turn the Montreal Protocol, to a vehicle that promotes HFCs on the premise that other UN Conventions will take care of the problem we have created here. That would be the height of irresponsibility.


The Russian Federation, recalling their early leadership on the Montreal Protocol and continuing concern for atmospheric protection, played an important role in the negotiations this week. Their suggestion to form an informal panel to discuss the HFC proposals provided the breakthrough that allowed Parties to explain their concerns and propose solutions.


Reflecting on the past and future of the agreement, Mr. Sergey Vasiliev from the Russian Federation said, “The Russian Federation is proud of its early leadership to address ozone depletion within the Montreal Protocol.  We have a high opinion of the Protocol’s approach to phasing out production and consumption and its funding mechanism. Therefore, we understand Parties’ desire to use the Protocol’s experience and existing mechanisms, specifically in regulating the use of HFCs. We encourage Parties to consider how the Protocol can be used to make progress on limiting the growth in production of HFCs.” 


He continued, “The Parties who have been reluctant to add HFCs are coming around with suggestions. The Russian Federation would welcome an opportunity to discuss whether a future period of freezing production and consumption of HFCs would be technically and economically feasible as a preliminary step before adoption of more specific controls to phase down and a grace period for A5 and CEIT Parties.”


Also urging action under the Montreal Protocol, Mr. Chakour Abderrahim, the head of the Moroccan delegation, said, “The phase down of HFCs under Montreal Protocol is a logical continuation of the phase-out cycle for other fluorinated gases. Understanding the urgency posed by climate change, the Kingdom of Morocco believes that the Montreal Protocol is the competent body and the suitable platform to tackle the issue of HFC production and consumption.”  Morocco joined the Federated States of Micronesia as co-sponsor of a formal HFC phase-down amendment.


“The Montreal Protocol is now a step closer to getting out of the old HFC technology,” said Durwood Zaelke, president of the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development. “The forward looking Parties know that phasing down HFCs is not only right for climate protection, but also for their industries, which need to focus on the new replacement technologies to stay competitive.”  This is especially true in light of a recent proposal to strengthen European rules on HFCs and other fluorinated gases.


Since 2011, 108 Parties to the Montreal Protocol have signed the Bangkok Declaration calling for the currently used HCFCs to be replaced with chemicals that have a low impact on global warming, rather than HFCs.  In Brazil earlier this year more than a hundred heads of state signed the Rio+20 declaration, The Future We Want, supporting an HFC phase-down.

The Montreal Protocol has phased out 97% of the production and use of nearly 100 ozone-depleting substances (ODS), and set the stratospheric ozone layer on the path to mid-century recovery. Because many ODS are powerful greenhouse gases, the Protocol has also provided critical climate mitigation equivalent to 135 billion tonnes of CO2, in contrast to 5 to 10 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent under the Kyoto Protocol during its first commitment period, which ends this year.


HFCs are used in refrigeration, air conditioning and insulating foams, and are the fastest growing greenhouse gases in many countries including the US, where they grew nearly 9% between 2009 and 2010.  Global growth is 10 to 15% per year.


In addition to the formal proposal to phase-down HFCs production and use from the Federated States of Micronesia and Morocco, the United States, Canada and Mexico also submitted a formal proposal.  These were the starting point for the discussions this week during the annual Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol. 


The proposed HFC phase-down amendments are here and here.

The Bangkok Declaration is here.

The Rio declaration, The Future We Want, is here.

Contact Info: Danielle Grabiel in Geneva: +1.202.441.8371, [email protected]

Nathan Borgford-Parnell in Washington, DC: +1.202.338.1300, [email protected]

Website : Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development

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World’s Most Successful Environmental Treaty Turns 25 Montreal Protocol saves ozone layer while reducing major climate threat

Posted by admin on September 17th, 2012

From: Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development
Published September 17, 2012 11:16 AM

Washington, DC 14 September 2012 – The world’s most successful environmental treaty turns 25 this week on September 16th.  The treaty is the Montreal Protocol and its success has avoided one of the most severe global environmental threats the world has ever faced—the destruction of the stratospheric ozone by chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

“The Montreal Protocol has phased out nearly 100 kinds of CFCs and related fluorinated gases by 98%, an astonishing record by any measure,” stated Durwood Zaelke, President of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development.  “The treaty’s success has put the ozone layer on the path to recovery by 2065 or later, and has avoided millions of deaths from skin cancer and trillions of dollars in health costs.”

At the same time, because the CFCs and other chemicals that destroy the ozone layer also cause global warming, the Montreal Protocol has provided nearly 20 times more in climate mitigation than the Kyoto Protocol climate treaty has done in its first commitment period.

“Including the earlier consumer boycotts of CFC-filled spray cans and the early national laws in the US and Europe to cut these chemicals, the combined efforts to address CFCs and related chemicals has solved a part of the climate problem that otherwise would be as big as the part caused by carbon dioxide today.  (Carbon dioxide causes more than half of the warming.)  Put another way, the global temperature above pre-Industrial average would be 50% again as high as it is today.”

“The Montreal Protocol is successful because it has universal membership of all UN countries.  And it has universal membership because all countries consider the treaty to be fair,” Zaelke noted.  “They consider it fair because it fully implements the principle of ‘common but differentiated responsibility,’ by providing that the developed countries that first used CFCs start their phase outs first, followed by a grace period of ten years, before the developing countries have to start.”

Developed countries also provide a dedicated funding mechanism to pay the full, agreed incremental costs to the developing countries for making the transition out of the banned chemicals.  There also is funding to pay for national ozone officers in all 147 developing countries, and to provide for regular training.  “These boots on the ground have made a tremendous contribution to the treaty’s success,” added Zaelke.

Today a coalition of developing and developed countries are proposing to amend the treaty to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) that have high global warming potential.  A group of 108 countries are now supporting this, although India and China are not yet on board.

“The reluctance of these two countries is blocking the world’s single biggest and fastest bite out of the climate problem,” added Zaelke.  “Both China and India have always joined the Montreal Protocol consensus over the past 25 years, and we fully expect that they will join the consensus to phase down HFCs as well.  They don’t want to be blamed for increasing the near-term climate impacts that the Montreal Protocol can avoid.”

“Phasing down HFCs now is especially important,” Zaelke continued, “because the climate treaty is on a deliberate schedule, aiming for an agreement by 2015 on new mandatory commitments in a treaty that would go into effect by 2020.  This is too late to avoid the catastrophic impacts that are getting closer each day.”

Contact Info: Nathan Borgford-Parnell: +1.202.338.1300, [email protected]

Website : Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development

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Industry Showcases Climate-Friendly Alternatives to Super-Greenhouse HFCs Optimism Builds for HFC Controls Under Montreal Protocol

Posted by admin on July 24th, 2012

From: Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development
Published July 24, 2012 09:41 AM

Bangkok, 21 July 2012 – More than 400 representatives from industry, government and civil society gathered this weekend in Bangkok to highlight the wide range of existing and rapidly emerging climate-friendly alternatives to hydroflurorocarbons (HFCs), super greenhouse gases used in refrigeration, air conditioning, insulating foams, medical aerosol products, and other sectors.  Speakers from industry, government, and public interest organizations were united on the inevitability of the HFC phase-down which is already well underway in some nations and were open to each other’s suggestions for incentives, financing and technology cooperation under the Montreal Protocol.

According to Atul Bagai, a UNEP coordinator for Asia and the Pacific, the conference was particularly helpful for developing countries that are in the process of making the transition away from ozone depleting substances and looking for cost-effective, climate-friendly alternatives. “It is reassuring for developing countries to see that a wide variety of alternatives that are both climate and ozone safe are either already available, or in the oven, for most applications.”

The conference precedes a working meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol, where pressure has been building for the past three years to phase down HFCs with high global warming potential and secure significant climate mitigation – up to 146 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent reductions by 2050. The growing demand for air conditioning in a warming world and the ongoing phase-out of hydrochlorofluorocarbons under the Montreal Protocol together have made HFCs the fastest growing climate pollutant in the U.S. and many other countries.

“The conference in Bangkok shows that industry is already replacing HFCs with climate-friendly alternatives while creating new jobs in green technology. Industry sees the writing on the wall and the triple benefits to the bottom line – affordable, sustainable, and marketable alternatives,” said Durwood Zaelke, President of the Institute of Governance & Sustainable, a leading advocacy group promoting more climate protection from the Montreal Protocol.  He added, “More than 100 countries have already expressed support for reducing HFCs under the Montreal Protocol.”

The inevitability of a phase-down under the Montreal Protocol was echoed by the Alliance for Responsible Atmospheric Policy, an industry coalition composed of about 100 manufacturers and businesses that produce and use HFCs and other similar chemicals, as well as the climate-friendly alternatives.

“The fluorocarbon producing and using industries have demonstrated their commitment to continuous improvement efforts when aided by clear goals and a consistent, technically-based policy environment. Efforts to address HFCs as part of the desire to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions will succeed if the lessons from 25 years of Montreal Protocol implementation are adhered to. These include science-based policies, credible technology and economic assessments, acknowledgment of the special needs and responsibilities of developing countries, and targeted and cost-effective financial assistance,” said Kevin Fay, ARAP Special Counsel.

Coca-Cola representative Bryan Jacob said, “We are proud of our work to rapidly phase out potent greenhouse gases. Natural refrigerant-based technologies have been commercially available for point-of-sale applications for some time now and will continue to penetrate the market.  But strong support from political decision makers for climate and environment-friendly refrigeration can further accelerate their market uptake.”

Political momentum for an HFC amendment has been growing for the past three years.  Last year,108 parties signed the Bangkok Declaration calling for low-GWP alternatives to CFCs and HCFCs.  And last month at the Rio+20 summit, more than one hundred heads of State called for the gradual phase-down of HFC production and consumption in the conference declaration, The Future We Want.

“The turnout of more than 400 participants from 60 countries as well as industry, international organizations and civil society demonstrates the strong interest in understanding the options for transitioning to climate-friendlier technologies” said Cindy Newberg Chief of the Alternatives and Emissions Reduction Branch at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

The two day conference entitled “Advancing Ozone and Climate Protection Technologies: Next Steps,” included technical presentations, panel discussions, and a trade show. At the conference, dozens of booths from chemical manufacturers and manufacturers of refrigerators, air conditioners, and thermal insulating foam showcased a wide range of market-ready alternatives to HFCs. Some even dispensed more tangible evidence of the inevitability of a shift away from HFCs – ice cream chilled in a freezer using a hydrocarbon refrigerant and beverages kept cold in vending machine using carbon dioxide as a refrigerant

The Bangkok conference was sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and The Alliance for Responsible Atmospheric Policy (Alliance) with the support of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and the European Commission.

The Montreal Protocol is already responsible for the global phase-out of 97% of the consumption and production of nearly 100 ozone depleting substances and has set the stratospheric ozone layer on the path to mid-century recovery, while providing critical climate mitigation as well.

The proposal to phase down HFCs was first submitted by the Federated States of Micronesia, a collection of low lying Pacific island. A similar amendment was proposed by the US, Mexico, and Canada.  Opposition from Brazil, India, and China has slowed progress.

While there is considerable optimism that formal negotiations on the HFC amendments will be launched this year at next week’s Working Group meeting or the November Meeting of the Parties, it ultimately depends upon the willingness of Brazil, India, and China to listen to their poorer island neighbors.

Contact Info: Danielle Grabiel +1.202.441.8371, Nathan Borgford-Parnell, +1.202.338.1300

Website : Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development

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Reducing Production of Super Greenhouse Gas Under Montreal Protocol Is Critical Climate Strategy

Posted by admin on February 27th, 2012

Washington, D.C., 27 February 2012 – Phasing down the production and use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under the Montreal Protocol ozone treaty is one of the most effective climate protection strategies available to the world today: it could substantially eliminate emissions of one of the fastest growing greenhouse gases globally. Low-climate-impact substitutes for HFCs are already available and could be quickly adopted.  This is the conclusion of a paper published today in the prestigious journal Science by Dr. Guus Velders of the Netherlands and a team of international scientists, including Nobel Laureate Dr. Mario Molina.


According to the authors, many HFCs have high global warming potential and their use is increasing by 10 to 15% annually.  This makes this man-made chemical the fastest growing greenhouse gas in the United States and many other countries.  If not controlled, HFCs, which currently account for only 1% of total climate forcing from long-lived GHGs, could constitute up to 27% of climate forcing of CO2 by mid-century.  The growth in HFCs is an unintended and negative consequence of the previous phase-out of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and the ongoing phase-out of hydroclorofluorocarbon (HCFCs) under the Montreal Protocol.


The Montreal Protocol is widely considered the most effective environmental treaty created to date.  It is the appropriate venue for controlling HFCs, according to the authors of the Science paper, because this treaty already has the relevant infrastructure to accomplish a phase down of HFC, including a dedicated funding mechanism, expert panels to review the science and the availability and cost of safer substitutes, and national ozone officers in every country of the world to ensure effective implementation of any phase-down. The Montreal Protocol has all UN members as parties, and all consider the treaty to be fair.  The Montreal Protocol is already the world’s most effective climate treaty having offset the equivalent of 10 billion tons of CO2 per year from 1990 to 2010 through the phase out of CFCs and HCFCs.  This is a benefit, the authors point out, that could be entirely cancelled if HFC emissions are allowed to increase unabated.


“The large climate benefits of the Montreal Protocol can be preserved by limiting the expected growth in HFCs,” stated lead author Dr. Velders. “This may be accomplished by the Montreal Protocol itself, using its proven expert panels and experienced networks in every country of the world.” 


In 2009 the Federated States of Micronesia submitted an amendment to phase down HFCs under the Montreal Protocol, to protect countries most vulnerable to climate impacts, including low-lying islands and coastal countries already suffering from accelerating sea level rise, and agriculture-dependent countries of Asia and Africa already suffering drought and shifting rainfall.  The United States, Canada, and Mexico followed with a similar proposal.  The proposals would reduce 85-90% of the HFC production and use, achieving climate mitigation equivalent to 100 billion tones of CO2 by 2050.


“This new paper in Science confirms that the HFC amendment is the biggest, fastest, and most politically feasible strategy the world has to mitigate climate change today,” said Durwood Zaelke, President of the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development. “Indeed, the Montreal Protocol amendment could help provide the momentum for a broader climate deal under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change by showing the world that climate solutions can be fast, fair, low cost, and effective.”


Since 2010, 108 nations have signed on to a declaration supporting action to reduce HFCs.  However, a small coalition of countries led by China and India has thus far prevented passage of the HFC amendment.  “China holds the key to the amendment and the safety of the most vulnerable peoples and places for the next 30 to 60 years,” said Zaelke.  “The question is whether China is ready to be a global leader and help the world’s most vulnerable countries.”


While efforts to amend the Montreal Protocol are continuing, voluntary efforts to reduce HFCs use are also being pursued.  Last week, on 16 February, a coalition of six nations from both the developing and developed world–US, Mexico, Canada, Sweden, Bangladesh and Ghana–launched a new initiative on Climate and Clean Air to Reduce Short-lived Climate Pollutants. These include HFCs, as well as two local air pollutants, black carbon and methane, the key precursor of ground-level ozone.


For further information see:

Contact Info: Candice Wu: +1.202.338.1300, [email protected]

Website : Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development

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Canada pulls out of Kyoto protocol

Posted by admin on December 13th, 2011
  • Staff and agencies


    • Environment minister Peter Kent announces Canada’s withdrawal from the Kyoto protocol on climate change Link to this video

    Canada has pulled out of the Kyoto protocol on climate change, one day after an update was agreed on, saying the accord won’t work.

    The Canadian environment minister, Peter Kent, said Canada was invoking its legal right to withdraw. Kyoto did not represent the way forward for Canada or the world, he said.

    Canada, Japan and Russia said last year they would not accept new Kyoto commitments, but Canada is the only country to repudiate it altogether.

    The protocol, initially adopted in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997, is aimed at fighting global warming. Canada’s previous Liberal government signed the accord but did little to implement it and current prime minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative government never embraced it.

    “The Kyoto protocol does not cover the world’s largest two emitters, the United States and China, and therefore cannot work,” Kent said. “It’s now clear that Kyoto is not the path forward to a global solution to climate change. If anything it’s an impediment.”

    Kent’s announcement came a day after marathon climate talks wrapped up in the South African port city of Durban.

    Negotiators from nearly 200 countries agreed on a deal that sets the world on a path to sign a new climate treaty by 2015 to replace the first Kyoto protocol, whose current provisions expire next year.

    Durban’s accord envisions a new treaty with binding targets for all countries to take effect in 2020.

    “[Withdrawing] allows us to continue to create jobs and growth in Canada,” Kent said.

    Canada had been expected to pull out and as a result faced international criticism at the Durban talks. Kent had said previously that signing Kyoto was one of the previous government’s biggest blunders.

    Kent said it would save Canada $ 14bn in penalties for not achieving its Kyoto targets. “To meet the targets under Kyoto for 2012 would be the equivalent of either removing every car, truck, ATV, tractor, ambulance, police car and vehicle of every kind from Canadian roads or closing down the entire farming and agriculture sector and cutting heat to every home, office, hospital, factory and building in Canada,” Kent said.

    Mike Hudema of Greenpeace Canada said in a statement it was a further signal that the Harper government is more concerned about protecting polluters than people.

    Hannah McKinnon of Climate Action Network Canada said formally withdrawing was a slap in the face of the international community and “a total abdication of our responsibilities”.

    An opposition New Democrat MP, Megan Leslie, disputed the figures involved and said there were no penalties under Kyoto. Pulling out saved the Conservatives having to report that Canada was falling short of its targets, she said.

    “It’s like we’re the kid in school who knows they’re going to fail the class, so we have to drop it before that actually happens,” Leslie said.

    Canada’s Conservative government is reluctant to hurt Canada’s booming oil sands sector, the country’s fastest growing source of greenhouse gases. Canada has the world’s third-largest oil reserves, more than 170bn barrels. Daily production of 1.5m barrels from the oil sands is expected to increase to 3.7mn in 2025. Only Saudi Arabia and Venezuela have more reserves. But the enormous amount of energy and water needed in the extraction process increases greenhouse gas emissions.

    Kent said Canada produced “barely 2%” of global emissions. The previous Liberal government had signed on to Kyoto in 1997 without any intention of meeting its targets, he said. Kyoto originally covered countries generating less than 30% of global emissions and that had fallen to 13%. Canada wanted a fair agreement covering all nations.

    Scientists say that if levels of greenhouse gases continue to rise, eventually the world’s climate will reach a tipping point, with irreversible melting of some ice sheets and sea levels rising by several metres.

    Climate negotiations have been focused on preventing global temperatures rising more than 1.2C (2F) above current levels by the end of this century.






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    Island Effort to Slow Sea Level Rise Blocked at Bail Montreal Protocol Meeting India, China Delay Proposal to Phase Down HFCs, Ignore UN Warning That These Super Greenhouse Gases Threaten 2°C Guardrail for Safe Climate Replenishment Comes in at  $445 Million

    Posted by admin on November 28th, 2011


    Bali, Indonesia, November 25, 2011 – At the 23nd annual meeting of the Montreal Protocol ozone treaty in Bali, Indonesia, a strong and very vocal majority of 108 Parties supported a plea by island nations to phase down the super greenhouse gases known as hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, used in refrigeration, air conditioning, and insulating foams.  The island strategy, lead by the Federated States of Micronesia, is designed to slow the rate of climate change and the accompanying sea level rise that threaten survival of islands.


    But a small group of Parties lead by India and China used a procedural maneuver to block the start of formal negotiations, delaying action for another year and allowing HFCs to continue their sky-rocking growth.


    At the opening of the Bali meeting, attended by 127 Parties, the UN Environment Programme called for fast action to protect the climate from the explosive growth of HFCs and released a report on the climate damage from HFCs and the best ways for industry to avoid them, including a detailed list of available substitutes. Nobel Laureate Mario Molina of Mexico and Dr. A.R. Ravishankara of the United States led the team preparing the UNEP HFC report.


    HFCs emissions are growing so fast they threaten to push the climate system past the 2°C outer guardrail for a safe climate in a matter of decades, according to UNEP. Without fast action to limit the growth of HFCs, the Molina/Ravishankara team calculated that HFCs could equal up to nearly 20% of CO2 emissions by 2050, or about the same as current annual emissions from transport, and up to 45% of C02 emissions if CO2 emissions are limited to 450 ppm.


    (A 450 ppm concentration of CO2 is expected to cause a 2°C increase in temperature above pre-Industrial levels—the outer guardrail many scientists consider safe. Many other scientists consider 350ppm the maximum safe level for CO2.)


    “The Montreal Protocol is pushing companies into HFCs even though these chemicals are no longer technically needed in most applications”, said Durwood Zaelke, President of the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development, who is at the Bali meeting.  “The majority of the Parties in Bali want to correct this mistake with these super greenhouse gases, but without leadership from China and India they can’t succeed, and low-lying islands and other vulnerable peoples and places will continue to suffer increasing climate impacts.”


    “China and India need to show they can be leaders rather than laggards blocking island efforts to survive,” Zaelke said. “China and India owe it to the world to support this unique opportunity to protect the climate.”


    “HFCs present the biggest, fastest piece of climate mitigation available to the world in the next few years,” said Zaelke. “The island proposal would ensure climate mitigation equivalent to100 billion tonnes of CO2 by 2050, many times more than the Kyoto Protocol climate treaty.”


    But in Bali government officials from India and China supported their chemical industry, rather than the survival of the islands and the protection of other vulnerable peoples and places, including in their own countries.  Heavy attendance by industry representatives from India and China appeared to have a noticeable influence on the positions of those Parties. In an intervention on the floor of the plenary, China industry representatives repeated arguments they made in 2007 against the previous HCFC accelerated phase-out, even going so far as to claim the current HFC proposal would cost the exact same number of jobs as they incorrectly forecast would be lost from the HCFC accelerated phase-out in 2007.


    Officials from India and China argued that HFCs can only be addressed under the climate treaty, known as the Kyoto Protocol, although they also have blocked action under the climate treaty.


    Parties to the climate treaty meet next week in Durban, South Africa, but prospects for meaningful action are limited.  One possible outcome is a new mandate to negotiate a legally binding treaty starting in 2015, to take effect in 2020.


    Along with Mexico and Canada, the U.S. also submitted a proposal to phase down HFCs. The North American Parties have provided strong technical support for the HFC proposals, backed up with strong diplomatic efforts.  The U.S. and Canada are donors to the Montreal Protocol fund that pays India and China and other developing countries for switching to safer alternatives.  The donor countries offered a three-year replenishment of $ 445 million for the period 2012-14 .  China is blocking a consensus, demanding $ 25 million more, although donors have made it clear that there is no more available.


    Zaelke noted that while the developing countries were disappointed, “in a tight budget time, this is an incredible achievement, and shows how strongly all Parties support their treaty.”


    “Climate change is advancing faster than the policies to address it.  We’re losing ground every day and we need the Montreal Protocol to get back in the game,” said Zaelke. “Very few opportunities exist to effectively target such a significant amount of mitigation, so cheaply, and with 100 percent assurance that it will get done. That’s the beauty of the Montreal Protocol. We know it will work to cut HFCs because it has already worked to phase out nearly 100 similar chemicals.”


    The UNEP HFC report is here: http://www.unep.org/dewa/Portals/67/pdf/HFC_report.pdf




    This number is not yet final; the Parties are still negotiating and have agreed to resume the Plenary at 7:30 pm Bali, which in the United States will be 6:30 am EST.  Scheduled for 2.5 hours.



    Contact Info: D. Zaelke 1.202.498.2457; [email protected]

    Website : Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development

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    UN Secretary General urges countries to leapfrog HFCs to protect climate Notes pending proposal to phase out HFCs under Montreal Protocol

    Posted by admin on September 19th, 2011


    Washington, DC, September 16, 2011 – U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged countries and companies to leapfrog super greenhouse gases known as HFCs to protect the climate, in his statement today on International Ozone Day. HFCs are 2,000 times more potent than carbon dioxide at warming the climate.


    The Secretary General highlighted the success of the Montreal Protocol in protecting the global climate as well as the ozone layer. The 1987 Montreal Protocol has provided the equivalent of 11 billion tonnes of CO2 in climate mitigation each year for the past 20 years. Parties explicitly added additional climate protection as well as additional ozone benefits in 2007 with their accelerated phase-out of HCFCs.  Ki-Moon called this phase out a “unique opportunity” not only to eliminate ozone-depleting compounds “but do so in a way that lowers energy costs and maximizes climate benefits” by leapfrogging HFCs.


    Executive Secretary of the Ozone Secretariat Marco Gonzalez emphasized that the climate benefits of the accelerated HCFC phase-out could be undermined if HFCs are selected as replacement gases. Due to the 2007 accelerated HCFC phase-out, HFCs have become the fastest growing greenhouse gas in the United States and in many other countries.  If HFCs are not controlled they could make up more than one third of climate forcing by mid-century.


    Ki Moon noted, “Parties to the Montreal Protocol are now considering … proposals to bring hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, under the Protocol….” The HFC amendment was first put forward by the Federated States of Micronesia in 2009, and would reduce 85-90% of HFC production and use, achieving climate mitigation equivalent to 100 billion tonnes of CO2 by 2050.  The United States, Canada, and Mexico followed with a similar HFC proposal.  Last year 91 countries supported reducing HFCs, and more are expected to follow in the coming months.  Adding further momentum, earlier this week the European Parliament passed a strong resolution calling for fast action to cut HFCs and other non-CO2 climate forcers, including black carbon, ground-level ozone, and methane.


    “Climate change is advancing faster than the policies to address it.  We’re losing ground every day and we need the Montreal Protocol to get us back in the game,” warned Durwood Zaelke, President of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development. “Very few opportunities exist to effectively target such a significant amount of mitigation, so cheaply, and with 100 percent assurance that it will get done.  That’s the beauty of the Montreal Protocol.  We know it will work because it has already worked for 96 other chemicals.”

     



    Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development

    Contact Info: Andrea Hill, IGSD: +1.202.338.1300, [email protected]

    Website : Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development

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    Island Nation’s Climate Strategy Advances at Montreal Protocol Meeting Goal Is Protecting Most Vulnerable Countries

    Posted by admin on August 9th, 2011

    MONTREAL, 8 August 2011 – Proposed amendments to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under the Montreal Protocol received support from a diverse group of developing and developed countries this week at the treaty’s annual Open Ended Working Group meeting.


    The amendment, which was first put forward by the Federated States of Micronesia in 2009, is designed to protect countries most vulnerable to climate impacts, including low-lying islands and coastal countries already suffering from accelerating sea level rise, and agriculture-dependent countries of Asia and Africa already suffering drought and shifting rainfall.   The United States, Canada, and Mexico followed with a similar HFC proposal. 


    The proposals would reduce 85-90% of HFC production and use, achieving climate mitigation equivalent to 100 billion tones of CO2 by 2050. HFCs are growing at such a fast rate that if they are not controlled they could make up more than one-third of climate forcing by mid-century. The growth in HFCs is a direct result of the previous phase-out of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and the ongoing phase-out of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) under the Montreal Protocol.  This is the first year that discussions of HFCs and climate change dominated the plenary sessions.


    “An HFC amendment is the most politically feasible strategy the world has to achieve fast climate mitigation,” said Durwood Zaelke, President of the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development, who attended the meeting. “Indeed, agreeing to the Montreal Protocol amendment could provide the missing momentum for a broader climate deal under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.”  The Montreal Protocol has all UN members as parties, and all consider the treaty to be fair. 


    “The amendment also has the advantage of administrative simplicity,” said Zaelke. “It focuses on only one gas, HFCs, and uses a treaty that already has the expertise it needs to quickly phase down production and use of these manmade chemicals.”  The expertise comes from phasing out 96 similar chemicals over the past two decades, including the chemicals HFCs are now replacing, CFCs and HCFCs.


    Another advantage, and “a key political point for developing countries,” according to Romina Picolotti, former Minister of Environment for Argentina, “is that the Montreal Protocol fully implements the principle of ‘common but differentiated responsibility’.”  The treaty does this by providing funding to reduce controlled chemicals, by delaying obligations for developing countries for several years, and by supporting capacity building.


    The HFC amendment also has the advantage of producing fast cooling of the climate system because most HFCs have lifetimes of only two to three decades. “Reducing HFCs and other short-lived climate forcers like methane and black carbon can keep warming from passing dangerous limits for 30 to 60 years,” said Zaelke, “provided we also reduce CO2.  This is critical for the survival of the world’s most vulnerable countries.”


    India and China acknowledge that HFCs are a critical climate issue, but argue that their mitigation should be conducted exclusively under the UN’s Kyoto Protocol climate treaty.  The Kyoto Protocol addresses downstream emissions of HFCs, not their upstream production and use, as would be done under the Montreal Protocol.  In addition, Kyoto only mandates reductions from developed countries, while Montreal would mandate reductions from all countries.


    “As climate impacts continue to increase, and as the urgency for reducing climate pollutants grows, the island’s climate strategy looks better and better, especially for the most vulnerable countries,” said Picolotti.


    Last year 91 countries issued a declaration supporting action to reduce HFCs, and more are expected to follow in the coming months.  In February 2011, environment ministers from China, India, Brazil, and South Africa noted that the issue of phasing out HFCs required in depth study. 


    Also in February 2011, India and the US formed a joint HFC Task Force. The Indian Ministry of Environment & Forests noted that India recognizes “the importance of addressing this problem, because of its own multiple vulnerabilities to climate change.”


    Discussions on the HFC amendments will resume at the Meeting of the Parties in Bali, Indonesia 21-25 November.


    “China holds the key to the amendment and the world’s safety for the next 30 to 60 years,” said Zaelke.  “The question is whether China is ready to be a global leader and help the world’s most vulnerable countries.”



    The Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development’s mission is to promote just and sustainable societies and to protect the environment by advancing the understanding, development and implementation of effective, accountable and democratic systems of governance for sustainable development.  See www.igsd.org or contact Durwood Zaelke, President, IGSD, [email protected].

    Contact Info: Alison Feibel, IGSD: +1.202.338.1300, [email protected]

    Website : Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development

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