VOX Gibraltar News - Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer

Government has said it is pleased to announce that the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol has been extended to Gibraltar with effect as from October 18th 2019.

The Montreal Protocol, which was finalised in 1987, was a global agreement to protect the stratospheric ozone layer, by phasing out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances (ODS). Within 25 years of signing, the World had phased-out 98% of the ODS contained in nearly 100 hazardous chemicals worldwide.

On October 15th 2016, Parties to the Montreal Protocol adopted the Kigali amendment to phase down production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) worldwide. HFCs are widely used alternatives to ODS such as hydro-chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs); however they are powerful greenhouse gases. With the Kigali Amendment, the Montreal Protocol will be an even more powerful instrument against global warming ensuring that HFC’s are replaced with more environmentally friendly alternatives.

The amendment calls on all countries to gradually phase down their production and consumption of HFCs in the coming decades; with the aim to achieve over an 80% reduction in HFC consumption by 2047.

The Government will be introducing the necessary reporting and licensing obligations to implement the legislative requirements under Kigali as per the Ozone Depleting Substances and Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases (EU) Exit Regulations 2019. A dedicated webpage will be launched to enable all local companies to register under the scheme.

Minister for the Environment and Climate Change John Cortes said, “I am delighted that this amendment to the Montreal Protocol has been extended to Gibraltar. This is one of the steps we needed to take in order to continue to conform to international environmental standards even when we leave the European Union. I am grateful to DEFRA in the UK for their support and their work on this and look forward to other international agreements on environment being similarly extended to Gibraltar in the coming months.”