Promise by U.S. and China to phase-out HFCs a welcome step to reduce climate pollutants
On June 8, 2013, United States President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to cut production of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HFCs).
This chemical, used in refrigeration and insulating foams, is already being replaced in some categories with cost-effective substitutes. The agreement will greatly bolster calls by a growing number of countries to include HFCs within the 1987 Montreal Protocol, the single most successful global environmental treaty. The treaty was signed by countries working in step with the private sector, to protect the Earth's stratospheric ozone from destructive chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), once used widely in aerosols and other applications.The inclusion of HFCs in the Montreal Protocol would be the equivalent of reducing over 100 billion tons of carbon dioxide by 2050. And the cost of reduction is estimated to be just pennies per ton. The proposal to include HFCs within the Montreal Protocol has the support of over 100 countries, including Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. China's support will strengthen the proposal, which will be considered at the 25th meeting of the parties to the Montreal Protocol, held in Bangkok in October 2013.
You might also be interested in
Canada, a giant oil producer, urges others to end fossil fuel subsidies
Canada is pushing the United States and other major economies to follow through on pledges to phase out "inefficient" fossil fuel subsidies, which have soared despite the growing threat of climate change. Such subsidies hit records last year, according to several watchdog groups, including one that estimated that major world economies—members of the G-20 cooperation forum—surpassed $1 trillion in subsidies for the first time in 2022. That’s a fourfold increase over subsidy levels in 2010, the year after G-20 nations agreed to phase out support for fossil fuels.
Building a Net-Zero World: How U.S. Finance Can Strengthen Clean Energy Manufacturing Abroad
The world needs to rapidly expand and diversify clean energy supply chains to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 and mitigate dangerous climate impacts. While some sectors, such as solar photovoltaic manufacturing, are on track to hit their 2030 targets, there are major shortfalls in the production of many other clean energy products.
Heatwaves to hit China once every 5 years as global extreme weather events multiply, study finds
Record-breaking heatwaves that have scorched North America, Europe and China are set to worsen in future unless the world stops burning fossil fuels, according to a study by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) academic initiative.
Exclusive: how US oil extraction plans will scupper global climate goals
To the dismay of green activists, the Biden administration approved the Willow oil drilling project in Alaska in March 2023. The field will produce 180,000 barrels of oil a day and create as many as 1,800 jobs, and will require an estimated investment of $8bn from lease-owner ConocoPhillips to become operational.