28th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol to be held in Rwanda

United Kingdom: The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has issued a statement urging Parties to agree to a fair, robust and ambitious amendment, as outlined in the new briefing Averting Climate Catastrophe: Our Obligation to Adopt an Ambitious Kigali HFC Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, during the 28^th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol to be held from October 10 to 14, 2016, at the Radisson Blu Hotel & Convention Centre, Kigali, Rwanda.

At the November 2015 meeting of the Montreal Protocol, the statement said, Parties agreed to amend the Protocol in 2016 to include a phase-down of a class of potent greenhouse gases known as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). During the meeting, EIA said that an amendment for a global phase-down of a class of HFCs is expected; however, it added that much remains to be negotiated. It revealed that a Montreal Protocol amendment to phase-down HFCs will kick-start efforts under last year’s UNFCCC Paris Agreement, and can avoid as much as 100 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and is the most important climate action the world can take this year.

The Agency further said that its Expert Climate campaigners, including Clare Perry, Climate Campaign Leader, EIA UK; Adela Putinelu, Climate Campaigner, EIA UK; Avipsa Mahapatra, Climate Campaign Lead, EIA US and Alexander von Bismarck, EIA US Executive Director, will be at the negotiations, facilitating discussion and providing commentary.