Countdown to Kigali: Moving Toward Strong Climate Action
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund
Co-authored by Bhaskar Deol
Countdown to Kigali is a round-up of recent news, blogs and other stories as world leaders head to Kigali, Rwanda to achieve a global agreement on phasing down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), potent heat trapping greenhouse gases, under the Montreal Protocol.
India to Ratify Paris Agreement on Climate Change on October 2nd—Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday
Photo: The Hindu
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday announced that India would ratify the Paris climate deal on October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Addressing delegates at the BJP’s national council meeting in Kozhikode, Mr. Modi said that, “on Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary, India will ratify the decisions reached at the Conference of Parties (CoP) in Paris.”
Leaders from 100+ Countries Call for Ambitious Amendment to the Montreal Protocol to Phase Down HFCs, Donors Announce Intent to Provide $80 Million of Support
At a meeting in New York on Thursday, world leaders called for an “ambitious phase-down schedule” for HFCs, and pledged US $80 million adaptation money for improving energy efficiency developing nations where HFC use is rapidly increasing.
“The world is poised to take historic action against climate change under the Montreal Protocol. Our drive to phase down hydrofluorocarbons cannot be complete without all major countries rallying around strong agreement that rapidly curbs these supercharged climate pollutants. We look forward to working with partners in India and around the world to achieve the most significant climate action the world can take to combat climate change since December’s global agreement in Paris.”
Read NRDC’s statement, and more about Thursday’s announcement.
Photo: NASA
Major HFCs Climate Opportunity Emerging for India
Significant momentum is building toward major progress on climate change. In a landmark announcement, more than 100 nations signaled strong action by agreeing to an early freeze of highly potent global warming hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) gases. Developed countries and private foundations pledged eighty million dollars to support an early transition in developing economies. More than 500 companies and over 100 subnational governments made strong commitments to an early phasedown of HFCs as well. As nations head to Kigali for the final discussions in a few weeks, the world looks to India to take action.
Read Nehmat Kaur’s blog on the energy efficiency announcement.
Momentum Builds for Montreal Protocol to Be Big Climate Win
What if I told you the world could take one action this year that would shave off a half a degree Celsius of warming from our overheating planet? Would world leaders seize that opportunity and do everything in their power to leave their citizens a chance of a safer world with less devastating impacts from climate change? Leaders have a chance when they meet in Kigali, Rwanda next month to secure a phase-down of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under the Montreal Protocol. Countries around the world have helped to create much stronger momentum for such an agreement with their new announcements at an event in New York today.
Read Jake Schmidt’s blog on Montreal Protocol.
Here’s Why India Needs to Be at the Forefront of Effort to Phase Out HFCs
The early and simultaneous phaseout of HFCs and enhancement of energy efficiency will no doubt require innovative approaches. We have seen innovation happen during global negotiations—it was clearly visible at Paris during the climate change negotiations in December last year, and there is scope to believe that it will be visible in Kigali as well
Read Dr. Ajay Mathur’s op-ed on Montreal Protocol.
More than 500 companies including India’s Godrej, Hindustan Unilever and Daikin call for an ambitious amendment to the Montreal Protocol
Over 500 national and international companies and organizations have called for an ambitious amendment to the Montreal Protocol and issued the following statement:
“By avoiding up to 0.5°C of warming by the end of the century, a Montreal Protocol hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) phasedown amendment is one of the most significant steps the world can take now to deliver on the goals of the Paris Agreement. Today, we call upon world leaders to adopt in October an ambitious amendment to the Montreal Protocol, including an early first reduction step for Article 2 countries and a freeze date for Article 5 countries that is as early as practicable, and we declare our intent to work to reduce the use and emissions of high-global-warming-potential HFCs and transition over time to more sustainable alternatives in a manner that maintains or increases energy efficiency.”
Read more about the announcement.
Key events and dates leading up to the Montreal Protocol Meeting of Parties
- New, Delhi, India, 5 – 8 Oct 2016 Dialogue on HFCs Alternatives
World Sustainable Development Summit, TERI, NRDC, IGSD - Kigali, Rwanda, 8 Oct 2016
Resumed 38th Meeting of the Open-ended Working Group of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol - Kigali, Rwanda, 10 – 14 Oct 2016
28th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol
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Read the full article at: https://www.nrdc.org/experts/anjali-jaiswal/countdown-kigali-moving-toward-strong-climate-action
