Industry must now gradually reduce the use of Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by 2045, when their use becomes prohibited. The Kigali Network contributed directly to this victory
The Brazilian government finally enacted the Kigali Amendment, which has been a demand of civil society for some years. The Treaty aims to reduce the consumption of substances called Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which the industry uses to replace the old CFCs and which have a high potential for global warming. By 2045, with a phased reduction during the preceding period, they will be banned for all time. The Kigali Network, created by iCS with the support of several organizations, contributed, according to Victoria Santos, coordinator of the Initiative for the Just Transition of Industry at iCS, with several studies of technical and economic feasibility and regulatory impact in order to support public and private actors regarding opportunities to increase the energy efficiency of air conditioning and refrigerators, aiming to reduce the demand for HFCs.
Some examples and results of this work are the “Study of Technical and Economic Feasibility for a High Efficiency Compressor Market in Brazil” from 2018, and the “Study of Regulatory Impact General Guidelines and a Case Study for Split System Air Conditioners in Brazil” from 2020.
The Kigali Network aims to promote energy efficiency as an instrument to achieve multiple benefits for Brazilian society and the consumer. The Network is composed of the Institute for Climate and Society (iCS), the International Energy Initiative – IEI Brasil, the Brazilian Institute for Consumer Protection (Idec), the Healthy Hospitals Project (PHS) and CLASP.
The Amendment, already implemented by more than 150 countries, will help Brazil to contribute significantly to the reduction of global warming on the planet. With the ratification of the agreement, Brazil will have access to an estimated amount of US$ 100 million, which is non-refundable, from the Montreal Protocol Multilateral Fund. The resources will be used to adapt factories, create jobs and train the workforce. Beforehand, the country needs to prepare an Action Plan for the Reduction of HFCs, establishing priority sectors, goals and the allocation of the resources.
“The support of the business entities was fundamental in showing the industrial and economic face of a treaty that is mistakenly seen as only environmental,” says Rodolfo Gomes, a coordinator of the Kigali Network and executive director of IEI Brasil.
Learn more at: kigali.org.br.
