US President Joe Biden on Thursday signed an international agreement that obliges the United States and other countries to limit the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), polluting greenhouse gases commonly used in air conditioning systems.
The Senate ratified the so-called Kigali Amendment to the 1987 Montreal Protocol on ozone pollution in September in a rare bipartisan vote.
The measure requires participating nations to gradually reduce the production and use of HFCs by 85% over the next 14 years, as part of a global phase-out aimed at mitigating climate change.
HFCs are considered one of the main drivers of global warming.
Almost 200 countries reached an agreement in 2016 in Kigali, Rwanda, to limit HFCs and find more atmosphere-friendly substitutes.
More than 130 nations, including China, India and Russia, have formally ratified the agreement, which scientists say could help the world avoid half a degree Celsius of global warming.
Biden pledged to support the Kigali deal during the 2020 presidential campaign and introduced the deal to the Senate last year.
White House senior climate change adviser Ali Zaidi said the formal ratification of the Kigali agreement, with Biden’s signature, “means that the United States is committed to phasing out HFCs” and advancing efforts. global to combat climate change.
The deal is expected to lead to the creation of tens of thousands of new jobs and generate billions of dollars in exports as clean technologies are developed to replace HFCs around the world, according to Zaidi.
Ratification of the amendment was supported by an unusual coalition that included major environmental and business groups, including the US Chamber of Commerce.
Some Republican senators opposed the treaty, saying it would give China preferential treatment by designating it a developing country.
The Senate passed a largely symbolic amendment by Republican Sens. Dan Sullivan of Alaska and Mike Lee of Utah declaring that China is not a developing country and should not be treated as such by the United Nations or other intergovernmental organizations.
Source: TSF
