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Climate experts want achievable goals on ozone layer protection

Xinhua, October 12, 2016 Adjust font size:

Climate scientists are advocating for realistic commitments that will see nations reach common ground on battling climate change which is becoming a threat to human livelihoods.

They made the call on Tuesday during the ongoing 28th Meeting of Parties to the Montreal Protocol (MOP28) in Rwanda's capital Kigali.

Rwanda hosts the high level forum from 8th to 14th October at the Kigali Convention Centre with an aim of reaching a global agreement on an ambitious amendment to the Montreal Protocol to phase down the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).

Speaking at the meeting on Tuesday, Marco Gonzalez, former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Environment Programme Ozone Secretariat said that countries should commit to achievable goals, rather than promising unrealistic commitments towards curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

"It's time to act now and come up with a global and legally binding treaty on curbing the greenhouse gases that cause global warming. We should avoid distrust between industrialized and developing countries over how to address climate change effects," he added.

Montreal Protocol is regarded as the world's most effective environmental treaty and expectations are high in Kigali for the next action on climate change -- beginning with the ambitious amendment of the protocol.

Patrick McInerney, director at Environment Department, government of Australia said that world leaders are showing greater flexibility on reaching an amendment to phase down HFCs.

"Things are looking positive for a strong and ambitious amendment this week in Kigali. We are looking at possible and achievable goals to effectively deal with climate change," he noted.

At the climate talks in Kigali, nearly 200 countries are trying to negotiate on separate deadlines for the developed and developing nations to phase out HFCs.

At the meeting some countries are pushing for a date closer to 2031 while others want a much more ambitious timeline in the early 2020s.

The Montreal Protocol was designed to protect the ozone layer by reducing the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances. It was established in 1987, and entered into force in 1989.

Since then it has banned the use of several ozone-depleting substances, including chlorofluorocarbons, a substitute to HFCs. Endit