Senate Ratification of Kigali Is Good for the Climate and U.S. Competitiveness

September 26, 2022

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are potent greenhouse gases that contribute to the climate crisis. They are primarily used as cooling agents in refrigerators and air conditioners.
The U.S. Senate ratified the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, designed to phase out HFCs, on September 21, 2022, marking an important step forward in confronting the climate crisis.
Meeting the goals of the Kigali Amendment will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and bolster American competitiveness.

Nearly seven years after the Kigali Amendment was adopted by the parties to the Montreal Protocol, the Senate agreed to its ratification on September 21. The Kigali Amendment aims to phase down the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are short-lived but extremely potent climate pollutants. While the ratification marks an important step forward for the United States to address greenhouse gas emissions, it will also bolster American competitiveness and the U.S. economy. For this reason, the Kigali Amendment garnered bipartisan support from Congress and was backed by industry leaders.

Seven members of the bipartisan Senate Climate Solutions Caucus urged their colleagues to ratify the Kigali Amendment by emphasizing the value it would bring to U.S. industry. As the Caucus letter to the Senate Foreign Relations explained, “Ratification of this amendment would help secure America’s place as a global leader in several manufacturing industries, and in turn give American products an advantage in the international marketplace.”

Implementing the Kigali Amendment will create 33,000 American jobs, result in $12.5 billion in output to the U.S. economy, and generate a 25 percent increase in exports of American-made heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) equipment. Importantly, ratifying the Kigali Amendment will help U.S. companies avoid trade restrictions aimed at countries that do not join the pact, thus keeping American-made HVACR equipment competitive in the global economy.

The Montreal Protocol

In 1985, British scientists discovered a giant hole over Antarctica in the atmosphere’s ozone layer, which protects life by absorbing harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. Other researchers quickly confirmed the findings and agreed that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were responsible for the depletion of the ozone layer. At the time, CFCs were used across the world in a wide range of products such as air conditioners and hairspray. To safeguard the ozone layer and avert disaster, 198 United Nation member states—every country in existence at the time—ratified the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. In the Protocol, parties agreed to phase down CFCs and nearly 100 other ozone-depleting substances. Today, 98 percent of ozone-depleting substances have been phased out.

With the ozone layer expected to recover by 2070 as atmospheric CFC levels decline, the Montreal Protocol is one of the world’s most successful international environmental treaties. It is estimated that the Montreal Protocol is saving an estimated two million people from skin cancer every year and helped avert disaster in the agricultural sector, which would have otherwise been scorched by high levels of UV radiation.

But transitioning away from CFCs did not come without consequence. In the 1980s, HFCs were introduced to replace CFCs and other ozone-depleting substances. Initially thought to be a better alternative to CFCs, HFCs do not deplete the ozone layer, but they do contribute to the climate crisis. Although they are less potent greenhouse gases than CFCs, HFCs have global warming potentials thousands of times higher than carbon dioxide, making it urgent to phase them out globally.

At the 28th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol in 2016, countries agreed to the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol to phase down HFCs. Since then, 137 countries have ratified the amendment, including India and China. However, until September 2022, one notable party was missing from the ratification list: the United States.

Paving the Way for U.S. Ratification of the Kigali Amendment

In December 2020, the bipartisan American Innovation and Manufacturing Act (AIM Act), signed into law as part of an appropriations bill, directed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to phase down HFCs and manage the transition to alternatives. The AIM Act directs the EPA to reduce HFCs by 85 percent by 2036, in line with the timeline of the Kigali Amendment. The passage of the law set the foundation for the United States Senate to officially ratify the Kigali Amendment on a bipartisan basis in September 2022.

Fortunately, there are non-HFC substitutes that can be used as more climate-friendly cooling agents, including ammonia, carbon dioxide, propane, and isobutane, according to Project Drawdown. Managing HFC leaks through routine inspections and better disposal can also avoid emissions. Proper disposal of refrigerators and air conditioners is crucial, as 90 percent of greenhouse gas emissions from refrigerants come from end-of-life leaking.

The global phasedown of HFCs through the Kigali Amendment is expected to avoid up to half a degree Celsius of global warming by 2100. This would be a fundamental step in adhering to the climate goals set out in the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to well below two degrees Celsius. For the United States, signing on to the Kigali Amendment was another step, following on the heels of the Inflation Reduction Act, moving the country towards meeting its Paris Agreement commitments—welcome progress in advance of the 27th United Nations Climate Summit (COP27).

Author: Savannah Bertrand

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