ACR Journal

February | March 2021 REFRIGERANTS 28 A-Gas Group Commercial Director Ken Logan comments on how other nations are looking to reduce the use of high GWP refrigerants during challenging times for the cooling industry. Beyond borders Volume 7 No.2 I am happy to say that the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol – an international agreement to cut the use of climate-warming hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) refrigerants – appears to be in rude health. Under the amendment, agreed upon in 2016, countries commit to cut the production and consumption of HFCs by more than 80 per cent over the next 30 years. The UK was one of the early signatories but recently the amendment reached a major milestone, with Liberia becoming the 100th nation to ratify the agreement. This progress has continued and Russia has become the 106th member to join the Kigali Club. With greater awareness that action is urgently needed to protect the planet, I believe that more countries will follow suit in the years to come. It must not be underestimated that the amendment targets a massive reduction in the use of high global warming potential (GWP) HFCs – widely-used refrigerant substitutes for ozone-depleting substances phased out under the Montreal Protocol. US Elections further boost Nation after nation is realising the importance of the amendment in helping to create an environmentally-friendly future and setting out a pathway to do so. This received a further boost with the election of Joe Biden as the new US president. His predecessor’s