A historic agreement to accelerate the phaseout date of manufacturing equipment using hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) by 10 years was reached at the 19th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol (MOP-19) on substances that deplete the ozone layer.
As part of the agreement reached on Sept. 21 in Montreal, developed countries (Article 2) will phase out all new equipment using HCFCs by 2020 instead of 2030, the previous deadline. The new agreement also calls for reduction steps of 75 percent in 2010, 90 percent in 2015, and allows 0.5 percent for servicing the period 2020-2030.
In 1987, the Montreal Protocol established requirements that began the worldwide phaseout of ozone-depleting chemicals. Under the new agreement, developing countries (Article 5) will now phase out all new equipment using HCFCs by 2030, (instead of 2040, the previous deadline) with reduction steps of 10 percent by 2015, 35 percent by 2020, and 67.5 percent by 2025. It allows for servicing an annual average of 2.5 percent from 2030-2040.
Article 5 countries also agreed to choose the average of the 2009 and 2010 levels of consumption and production as the baseline. Those countries also agreed to freeze consumption and production in 2013 at the baseline level. Parties also agreed to replenish the Multilateral Fund to enable Article 5 countries to comply with the accelerated phaseout schedule.
