Parties gathering at the Conrad Hotel in Dubai for the 27th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol (27th MOP) this November 2015. The parties include high level delegates from UAE, UNEP, Australia, France, Maldives, Netherlands, Uruguay, USA and World Bank. The sessions will discuss four proposals submitted by 40 countries to amend the Protocol to phase down the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
HFCs are chemicals used in air conditioning, refrigeration, foams and aerosols as replacements for many ozone-depleting substances that are being phased out under the Montreal Protocol.
Not only does the chemical enable global warming, it has also been growing at a rapid 7% per year.
If no action is taken, increasing demand could result in HFC emissions of up to 8.8 gigatonnes carbon dioxide equivalent per year by 2050. This could potentially offset the climate benefits achieved by the Montreal Protocol, which has averted greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to more than 135 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide.
By phasing out HFC, governments could avoid the equivalent of 100 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide and more than 0.5°C of warming by 2050, according to a report by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.