PH must ratify Kigali Amendment

The Philippines achieved a key milestone in its fight against climate change when it ratified the Paris Agreement last April 2017. Being highly vulnerable to the impacts of extreme events, it is important for the country to take immediate action towards reducing the impacts of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide on the global and local climate.

However, it needs to pay attention to the growing threat of “super greenhouse gases”, hydrofluorocarbons. And to address this, the Philippines must immediately ratify the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.

The impacts of HFCs

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are purely man-made substances commonly used as cooling agents for various purposes, such as air-conditioning, refrigeration systems, fire retardants, and solvents for cleaning products. They are classified as short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), generally staying in the atmosphere for shorter periods than greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.

HFCs were manufactured as substitutes for ozone-depleting substances (ODS) such as CFCs and HCFCs, which were globally banned under the Montreal Protocol in 1987. In contrast to these substances, HFCs cause much less degradation to the ozone layer. The ODS phaseout has led to the gradual healing of the ozone layer, which is necessary for maintaining environmental stability.

Nearly half (47 percent) of global HFC consumption comes from refrigeration and non-mobile air-conditioning from residential and commercial areas. Around a quarter (24 percent) of HFC use is for automobile air-conditioning, and 11 percent comes from industrial foaming agents.

However, HFCs have high global warming potential (GWP), or a measure of how much heat a greenhouse gas traps in the atmosphere. For instance, HFC-23, a common refrigerant and fire suppressant, has a GWP that is 14800 times higher than that of carbon dioxide. Its emissions have also increased six-fold from 1978 to 2005. One of the most common air-conditioning SLCPs, HFC-134a was previously undetected before the 1990s.

Currently, HFCs are responsible for only 1 percent of global warming. However, higher temperatures will lead to increased emissions due to a projected increased usage of air-conditioning and refrigeration among consumers, especially in developing nations.

Without proper measures to reduce emissions, HFCs would constitute around 7-19 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

A study published in 2013 reveals that an accelerated global HFC phasedown can prevent a 0.5 degree Celsius of global warming by 2100, which is around 90 percent of the temperature increase they would have caused otherwise. This makes the HFC phasedown important for achieving the 1.5-degree Celsius target under the Paris Agreement. Thus, it is crucial for all countries to rapidly reduce their emissions.

Reducing HFC emissions

The Kigali Amendment was adopted in October 2016 in Rwanda as an addition to the Montreal Protocol, one of the most successful international agreements on environmental protection in history. Aiming to reduce HFC emissions, it will enter into force on January 1, 2019 after having been ratified by at least 20 countries.

Under the amendment, Parties will commit to an HFC phasedown based on the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities”.

Developed countries (or non-Article 5 Parties) will follow a more stringent reduction schedule, needing to cut 85 percent of their emissions by 2036.

Meanwhile, most Article 5 Parties such as the Philippines need to achieve the following reduction targets: 10 percent (by 2029), 30 percent (by 2035), 50 percent (by 2040), and 80 percent (by 2045). They are also allowed to “freeze” their HFC use before starting the phasedown process to allow developing economies to adjust accordingly.

The urgency for maintaining and enhancing energy efficiency is recognized as a climate co-benefit under the amendment. The development of more efficient air conditioners, refrigeration systems, and other related equipment would result in lower electricity consumption and, subsequently lower carbon emissions. Reducing the use of equipment with high-GWP SLCPs is another cost-effective measure for lowering emissions, which would be beneficial for countries to achieve their emission reduction targets under the Paris Agreement. Specifically, the Kigali Amendment encourages Parties to develop more efficient cooling equipment and adopt low-GWP alternatives to HFCs, such as ammonia, carbon dioxide, and hydrocarbons (i.e. propane). It also offers a strong market signal to accelerate innovations for more climate-friendly technologies, in response to restrictive industry standards in many countries.

Many of these natural refrigerants cost less than HFCs. They also result in technologies up to 40% more efficient than HFCs. While high initial expenses are expected for installing new natural refrigerant systems, these costs are recovered in the long-term through reduced expenditures and externalities. Lower operating costs from the usage of low-GWP alternatives are caused by reduced maintenance costs and lower energy consumption.

To complement the phasedown, participating countries are required to implement a licensing system for the import and export of HFCs. Article 5 Parties are also restricted from HFC trading with non-Parties starting on January 1, 2033, given ratification by at least 70 nations.

For developing countries, the Montreal Protocol offers financial mechanisms for providing technical and financial cooperation, such as the Multilateral Fund. Additional support is further offered for Parties implementing early phasedowns. Countries are also encouraged to collaborate with each other to meet their respective targets.

Ratifying the Kigali Amendment should be a key part of Philippine policy on environment and climate change. Aside from contributing to the continuing healing of the ozone layer, this should constitute a key part of the country’s strategies under its Nationally Determined Contributions: reducing HFC emissions and adopting alternative refrigerants for more sustainable technologies can be implemented as mitigation and adaptation measures, respectively.

Such action will also build on existing initiatives on energy efficiency. Historical market trends have favored energy conservation more than energy efficiency due to the lack of private foreign and local capital flowing into such projects. Thus, a key objective to develop alternative technologies in the context of HFC phasedown is to minimize the risks of third-party private capital for such endeavors to make them more commercially attractive. The passage of energy efficiency legislation, such as Senate Bill No. 1531 currently pending in the House of Representatives, would lead to an increased demand for energy efficiency projects and institute fiscal incentives.

The accelerated ratification of the Kigali Amendment will help propel the Philippines towards a low-carbon, resilient road to sustainable development. As both temperatures and energy demand continue to increase, so does the urgency for immediate action from all sectors. The time has come for Filipinos to keep an eye on another invisible threat and prevent its impacts from happening before it is too late.

John Leo is an environment researcher, climate advocate, and citizen journalist. He is a trained Climate Reality Leader from The Climate Reality Project Philippines since March 2016. He serves as a graduate researcher at the Manila Observatory, focusing on urban aerosols emitted from anthropogenic sources. He is currently earning his Master’s degree in Atmospheric Science at the Ateneo de Manila University.