The Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer reached agreement at their 28th Meeting of the Parties on 15 October 2016 in Kigali, Rwanda to phase-down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). HFCs are commonly used alternatives to ozone depleting substances (ODS). While not ozone depleting substances themselves, HFCs are greenhouse gases which can have high or very high global warming potentials (GWPs), ranging from about 121 to 14,800.

The major achievements of the project entitled “Implementing Enabling Activities for the Ratification of the Kigali Amendment” in 2018 were as follows: a) A legislative review resulting in the development of a document to inform the preparation of drafting instructions for a Trade Order to regulate importation of HFCs.

The Montreal Protocol is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production and consumption of several substances that are believed to be responsible for the depletion of the ozone layer. The treaty was opened for signature in September 1987 and entered into force on January 1, 1989. Jamaica signed the treaty at the Vienna Convention in 1993.

The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol entered into force on 1 January 2019. Under the Amendment, all countries will gradually phase-down Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by more than 80 per cent over the next 30 years and replace them with more environmentally-friendly alternatives. Phasing down HFCs under the Protocol is expected to avoid up to 0.5°C of global warming by the end of the century while continuing to protect the ozone layer.

The main approach has been to review the text Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol1 and also to examine the existing policy and legislative and institutional framework within which the Kigali Amendment will be implemented. Consideration has also been given to the timetable and methodology for the implementation of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. Interviews were also conducted with relevant stakeholders from key government agencies and the private sector.