VATIS UPDATE Article

At recent negotiations at Kigali, Rwanda, the government of India gave its ex-post facto approval to the India’s position over the issue of phasing down the climate-damaging refrigerants hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). The Kigali meet took place during October 6-14 where India had successfully negotiated the baseline years and freeze year for phasing down the use of HFCs. The country’s position is aimed at allowing sufficient room for growth of its domestic sectors using refrigerants.

Freezing year is the year when use of HFCs will peak before being scaled down while the baseline years are the years for which the average production/consumption quantity of HFCs is taken as the upper limit (serves as a level). It was agreed at Kigali that there would be two set of baselines years for developing countries. India along with nine other countries will have baseline years of 2024-26 while other developing countries including China (largest producer of HFCsin the world), Brazil and South Africa will have 2020-22 baseline. The developed countries, led by the US, will on the other hand reduce use of HFCs over a 2011-13 baseline.

The freeze year for India will be 2028, with a condition that there will be a technology review in 2024/2025 and, if the growth in the sectors using refrigerants is above certain agreed threshold, India can defer its freeze up to 2030. The freeze year of China, Brazil, South Africa and others will be 2024. As per the decisions taken in Kigali, India will complete its phase down in four steps with cumulative reduction of 10% in 2032, 20% in 2037, 30% in 2042 and 85% in 2047. On the other hand, the developed countries including the US, Japan and west European nation will reduce production and consumption of HFCs by 70% in 2029 and 85% by 2036.