Sweden became the 20th country to ratify the historic amendment clearing the agreement to enter into force at the earliest date possible, according to the treaty: 1 January 2019.
The amendment is a key pillar of global Climate Action and will avoid up to half a degree of warming by 2100. The agreement seeks to eliminate greenhouse chemicals (HFCs) – that usually are used in refrigerators and air conditioners – blamed for heating up the planet. Coolants producers are now obliged to start producing alternative cooling gas (technology) that is less harmful to the climate.
Read a joint statement from High Ambition Coalition members below:
“Today – on the final day of COP23 – we crossed the threshold required for the Amendment to entre into force in 2019. The fact that this has been achieved just over a year since the Amendment was adopted in Kigali is a massive political signal of our determination to phase down HFCs, and of our commitment to a multilateral approach to tackling climate change.
The High Ambition Coalition played a big role in securing the Amendment last year, and a big role in driving its ratification this year. More than half of the first countries that have ratified the Amendment are from the High Ambition Coalition. With the next meeting of the Montreal Protocol convening next week in Canada, we hope the rest of the world can also join this vital Amendment and start work on implementing it.”
Rwanda’s Environment Minister Dr Vincent Biruta, Marshall Islands’ Environment Minister David Paul, EU Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Cañete, and Federated States of Micronesia’s Director of the Office of Environment and Emergency Management Andrew Yatilma jointly signed the statement.
