Resumed 36th Meeting of the Open-ended Working Group of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol

Organizer: IGSD

This presentation presents the findings of the new publication by Duncan Brack “National Legislation on Hydrofluorocarbons,” published by IGSD. It spotlights the increasing number and stringency of national regulations, incentives, and voluntary agreements to phase down HFCs worldwide. Regulations and incentives in place as of August 2015 are compared and contrasted and judged for effectiveness in reducing production and consumption of HFCs. Some regulations and incentives are most appropriate for Parties with companies producing products made with and containing HFCs while other approaches are ideal for the majority of Parties with no use of HFCs in manufacturing and therefore able phase-down by purchasing energy-efficient alternatives and substitutes form any global source without waiting for domestic stakeholders to transition. The paper makes the case that phasedown of obsolete and unwanted HFCs is well underway but that the Montreal Protocol Amendment will be critical for Article 5 investment and capacity building; for levelling the competitive playing field, achieving economy of scale and low prices; and to avoid dumping of HFC products on unsuspecting customers. 

Katie Fletcher

Phone: +1 202 338 1300

E-mail: kfletcher@igsd.org