By Avipsa Mahapatra, EIA International Climate Policy Analyst
On Tuesday, two of the top three greenhouse gas emitters in the world, the United States and India, announced a plan to work together to phase out potent “super” greenhouse gases, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
In a joint statement released by U.S. President Obama and Indian Prime Minister Modi, recognizing, “the need to use the institutions and expertise of the Montreal Protocol to reduce consumption and production of HFCs, while continuing to report and account for the quantities reduced under the UNFCCC”, the two countries “pledged to urgently arrange a meeting of their bilateral task force on HFCs prior to the next meeting of the Montreal Protocol to discuss issues such as safety, cost, and commercial access to new or alternative technologies to replace HFCs.”
1. Why is the announcement important for the climate?
India recently surpassed the European Union as the world’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gases, behind China and the United States. HFCs, used in air conditioning, refrigeration, and insulating foams, are hundreds to thousands of times more damaging to the climate than carbon dioxide.
Air conditioner and refrigerator use is rising dramatically in India and is likely to grow up to 20 percent per year, leading to rising energy demands and increasing HFC emissions. With this explosive growth in air conditioning and refrigeration use, India’s HFC emissions are expected to exceed those of the United States, which is currently the largest consumer of HFCs. Although more than 120 countries, including the United States, support an amendment to the Montreal Protocol to phase down HFCs, India has been one of the few countries opposed to the amendment proposal.
The Montreal Protocol, hailed as the most successful international environmental treaty, regulated ozone-depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) worldwide. Its institutions and mechanisms can easily use the very same process to eliminate HFCs—which were commercialized to replace CFCs in mostly the same industries. Yesterday’s statement, the first formal position on HFCs taken by the new Indian government led by Modi, is the first indication that India has reduced its opposition to an amendment proposal and is willing to work to a collaborative solution at the Montreal Protocol.
2. Why is the announcement important for India?
One of the key concerns that developing countries like India have expressed time and again is the lack of technical and/or financial capacity to meet the same standards or deadlines as developed countries. Under the Montreal Protocol, India and other developing countries would begin their HFC phase down several years after developed countries, and would gradually reduce their HFC production and consumption over several decades. This extended timeframe gives India the opportunity to determine what climate-friendly HFC alternatives are cheapest, most effective, and energy efficient. Meanwhile, the Montreal Protocol's financial mechanism would help facilitate the transition of Indian companies to more efficient, climate-friendly refrigerants.
Markets in several other countries including the United States, Europe, China, and Japan are already moving away from using HFCs. For instance, the new European F-gas regulation is phasing down HFCs by 80 percent by 2030. So, moving to non-HFC cooling makes business sense for India too. However, an even more compelling reason to do so under the Montreal Protocol is that it provides Indian industry an opportunity to use the Montreal Protocol to improve the energy efficiency of the air conditioners, refrigerators, and other appliances that use refrigerants. Past Montreal Protocol phase outs have catalyzed significant improvements in energy efficiency.
Moving out of HFCs will also put India’s HFC-alternatives industry at the forefront of the next generation of refrigerants on par with China. This will allow India to control its own refrigeration and air conditioning market thereby reducing India’s reliance on imported patent-protected refrigerants. Simultaneously, it could help the United States to reduce its reliance on HFCs. Most importantly, it will prevent India from converting into a dead-end technology that will eventually require another phase-out.
3. What is next?
In their announcement, the two leaders also declared, “The two sides would … cooperate on next steps to tackle the challenge posed by HFCs to global warming.” We hope this announcement leads to a speedy revival of the Indo-U.S. HFC task force and an agreement to form a contact group on HFCs at the Montreal Protocol Meeting of Parties in November. Together, India and the United States can work together to ensure the biggest, fastest, cheapest, and most secure piece of climate mitigation is implemented in the near term. The climate benefits would be equivalent to mitigating 100 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions! The truth is there is simply no other comparable near-term strategy for greenhouse gas mitigation than a phase down of HFCs under the Montreal Protocol.