Obama welcomes “ambitious” new agreement against global warming – The New Dia.com

Washington - president Barack Obama today celebrated the “ambitious” new agreement reached by nearly 200 countries to phase out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCS), gases used in refrigeration systems, foams and aerosols, and they also have a strong impact on the warming of the planet.

In a statement, Obama applauded the approval today in Kigali (Rwanda) an amendment of the Covenant of the 1987 Montreal which includes the two largest economies in the world, China and the united States, and whose implementation could avoid an increase of half a degree in the temperature of the Earth during this century.

“For many years, the united States worked tirelessly to find a global solution that would allow to gradually eliminate the production and consumption of hfcs” who “can be between hundreds and thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide,” said Obama.

“Today, in Kigali, nearly 200 countries have adopted a solution that is ambitious and powerful for this imminent crisis”, he added.

According to the agreement called “Amendment of Kigali”, the developed countries will begin to gradually decrease the use of hydrofluorocarbons in 2019, while those who are in the process of development freeze their consumption levels between 2024 and 2028.

The agreement provides for exceptions for countries with high ambient temperatures, so that its rate of elimination is slower, although it is expected that at the end of the next decade of the 40 all of the signatories to the Montreal Protocol not to consume more than 20% of their current levels.

Obama stressed that the plan “provides funding to countries that need it, so that the new technology of air conditioners and cooling may be available to its citizens”, through a financing fund for the reduction of HFC, the cost of which is estimated at billions of dollars.

“today’s agreement culminates ten crucial days in our global efforts to combat climate change,” Obama said, recalling that last week he crossed the threshold of ratification required for the entry into force of the Paris Agreement and reached “an agreement to reduce emissions from international aviation”.