Montreal Protocol Meeting: Nigeria, others to discuss way forward on Dubai mandate

Representatives from Nigeria, Indonesia, Canada, Sri Lanka, and United States of America among others will discuss on how Montreal Protocol parties can move forward in 2016 to deliver the mandate of the “Dubai Pathway on HFCs” at the on-going meetings of the 197 parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer taking place in Vienna, Austria.

The meeting taking place from 15 to 23 July 2016 also aims to continue working to an amendment to the Protocol in 2016 to phase down the production and consumption of global-warming-inducing hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), by first resolving challenges identified under the “Dubai Pathway on HFCs” adopted last year.

HFCs are used in air conditioning, refrigeration, foams and aerosols as replacement for many ozone depleting substances. An agreement to phase down HFCs under the Montreal Protocol would avoid an estimated 105 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2050, and up to 0.4°C of global warming by the end of the century, while continuing to protect the ozone layer.

Montreal Protocol parties will hold the Third Extraordinary Meeting of the Parties, to be specifically convened to address the HFC issue, on 22 and 23 July. The Extraordinary Meeting will include a ministerial roundtable discussion on the morning of Friday, 22 July. The discussion will focus on how Montreal Protocol parties can move forward in 2016 to deliver on the mandate of the “Dubai Pathway on HFCs”. The discussants will include ministers and high-level participants from Bahrain, Canada, Indonesia, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, United States of America, United Nations and others.

In addition, the parties will discuss issues related to alternatives to ozone-depleting substances, terms of reference for a study on the funding needed for the replenishment of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol for the 2018 – 2020 period, among others, during the 38th meeting of the Open-ended Working Group (18 – 21 July). They will also continue generating solutions to challenges identified under the “Dubai Pathway” and consider HFC management issues, including the four proposed amendments to the Montreal Protocol to phase down HFCs, during the resumed 37th meeting of the Open-ended Working Group (15 – 16 July).

This year, Montreal Protocol parties have achieved the final phase-out of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) with the phase-out of CFCs used in metered-dose inhalers, a significant milestone following 30 years of concerted global action to protect the ozone layer.