The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol is a legally binding global agreement, which aims to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)—extremely potent greenhouse gases widely used in refrigeration and air conditioning. Although HFCs currently account for ~2% of global greenhouse gas emissions, they have been growing at over 10% per year in the absence of controls. While HFCs do not harm the ozone layer, they can have global warming potentials thousands of times greater than carbon dioxide, making the rapid reduction of their emissions a major climate priority.

Adopted in 2016, the Amendment commits countries to reducing HFC production and consumption with differentiated timelines for developed and developing nations. Developed countries began reductions in 2019, while most developing countries were expected to begin to freeze their HFC use in 2024 before beginning phased reductions. By 2047, global HFC use is expected to fall by 80–85 percent.

Cooling powerhouse
If fully implemented, the Kigali Amendment is projected to prevent up to 0.5°C of global warming by 2100—one of the most significant single mitigation actions available this century. When combined with improvements in the energy efficiency of cooling equipment, the climate benefit could nearly double, potentially avoiding about 1°C of warming during the same period.

The Amendment plays a critical role in supporting the Paris Agreement to keep global temperature rise below 2°C. It does so by building on the proven success of the Montreal Protocol, widely regarded as the world’s most effective environmental treaty. The Kigali Amendment leverages the Protocol’s established financial mechanism, compliance and enforcement systems addressing challenges such as illegal trade and ensuring high levels of accountability.

Making the cooling sector more energy efficient
A key strength of the Kigali Amendment is its integration of climate and development priorities. Through the Montreal Protocol’s financing mechanism—the Multilateral Fund—developing countries receive financial and technical assistance to transition including to sustainable cooling technologies. This transition also accelerates the uptake of energy efficient cooling, which is essential given that most emissions from the cooling sector come from electricity use rather than HFCs. The Amendment requires a shift toward new low-global-warming-potential refrigerants, synthetic alternatives or natural refrigerants (such as ammonia and propane), and encourages enhancements in energy efficiency.

With more than 170 countries having ratified the Kigali Amendment, it stands as a powerful bridge between ozone protection and climate action. Ten years on, it is widely regarded as one of the most impactful global agreements for near-term climate mitigation, delivering measurable benefits for both the planet and sustainable development.

About the Montreal Protocol
The Montreal Protocol is a global chemicals agreement to protect the Earth’s ozone layer by phasing out the chemicals that deplete it. The landmark agreement, adopted in 1987, entered into force in 1989 and has become of the most successful global environmental treaties. Thanks to the collaborative effort of nations around the world, the ozone layer is on its way to recovery, and many environmental and economic benefits have been achieved.

(source: https://ozone.unep.org/kigali-amendment-overview)