Countries Reach Deal To Reduce HFCs, Curb Climate Change
Oct. 18, 2016
More than 170 countries agree to cut use of HFCs in air conditioners and refrigerators.
Though not as high profile as the Paris emissions-reducing accord, an agreement forged in Kigali, Rwanda could have an equal or greater impact on climate change, according to an article from The New York Times. Negotiators from more than 170 countries have reportedly reached a legally binding accord to cut the worldwide use of chemical coolants, or hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), used in air-conditioners and refrigerators.
According to the article, the deal is expected to eventually reduce “the equivalent of 70 billion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere — about two times the carbon pollution produced annually by the entire world.” Secretary of State John Kerry is quoted in the article as saying, “It is likely the single most important step we could take at this moment to limit the warming of our planet and limit the warming for generations to come.”
