Kigali Amendment to Montreal Protocol will limit global warming: Oman’s EA

Muscat: The Environment Authority (EA) has affirmed that the Royal Decree ratifying the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer comes to emphasize the importance of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol in reducing the expected production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons, and limiting the phenomenon of global warming.

The Authority explained that hydrofluorocarbons are organic compounds frequently used as refrigerants in air conditioners and other devices as alternatives to ozone-depleting substances controlled under the Montreal Protocol. While hydrofluorocarbons themselves do not deplete the ozone layer, they are highly potent greenhouse gases with a global warming potential that can be many times higher than carbon dioxide.

It stated that the Sultanate of Oman’s ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer will put in place the necessary legislative and technical measures to comply with the amendment, in addition to keeping pace with the national trend towards controlling greenhouse gas emissions.

The Environment Agency stated that the Kigali Amendment will benefit countries that have ratified the amendment in terms of providing a financial mechanism for financial and technical support, including technology transfer, to support compliance by Parties operating under Article 5, and providing support for enabling activities related to institutional strengthening, import and export licensing and quota systems, and developing national strategies for the phase-down of HFCs, and avoiding trade controls.

It explained that the Kigali Amendment will restrict trade in HFCs between Parties and States that are not Parties to the Kigali Amendment in accordance with the Protocol’s articles regulating trade between Parties, and contribute to the use of energy-efficient devices and technologies, which will contribute to reducing energy consumption, helping to reduce greenhouse gases and thus contributing to achieving the national contributions submitted in accordance with the Paris Climate Agreement.

It is worth noting that the Kigali Amendment (2016) of the Republic of Rwanda represents the fifth and final amendment to date that entered into force on January 1, 2019, to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer adopted in 1987, after the London Amendments (1990), the Copenhagen Amendment (1992), the Montreal Amendment (1997), and the China Amendment (1999). The amendment has been ratified so far by more than 137 countries, including the Sultanate of Oman, after the issuance of the Royal Decree.