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Kigali Amendment : Summary and timeline By ASHRAE South Africa Chapter The Kigali Amendment was adopted by all parties to the Montreal Protocol in October , 2016 [ 1 ].
The Republic of South Africa ratified this
amendment on August 1st , 2019 , having previously acceded to all other amendments [ 2 ], and is currently among some one hundred and ten other countries who have similarly ratified the Kigali Amendment [ 3 ].
Consequently , South Africa has agreed to regulate or ‘ phase-down ’ all substances controlled by this amendment as listed in Annex F of the Montreal Protocol [ 4 ]. Other controlled substances applicable to other parts of the Montreal Protocol are listed in the other annexures [ 5 ].
The aim of the Kigali Amendment is to bring , “ the future production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons ( HFCs ) under the control of the Protocol and will make a major contribution towards the fight against climate change ” [ 1 ].
In some ways this stands in contrast to previous efforts of the Montreal Protocol , which controlled primarily chlorofluorocarbons ( CFCs ) and thereafter hydrochlorofluorocarbons ( HCFCs ) to combat the deleterious effects of Ozone Depleting Substances ( ODSs ). However , with the addition of the Kigali Amendment , the aim of the Montreal protocol ultimately remains unchanged – to protect the ozone layer from ODSs and to do so without causing environmental damage in other ways ( e . g . global warming ).
Having now added HFCs to the Protocol via the Kigali Amendment , the ozone layer can be protected more holistically .
It should be noted that not all HFCs and not all ‘ high ’ Global Warming Potential ( GWP ) substances are controlled by the Kigali Amendment [ 6 ]; similarly , there are no universally prescribed limits for controlling how much of a particular substance may or may not be consumed . Countries are only required to comply with a total reduction in consumption of controlled substances from their baseline value [ 7 ].
This allows each country to determine how best to achieve their set reduction and leaves some room for the use of controlled substances wherever substitutes are not available or not practical to deploy . That is , HFCs are being ‘ phaseddown ’ by the Kigali Amendment and not ‘ phased-out ’ ( as was previously the case with CFCs and now HCFCs ), and a country ’ s consumption is treated as a ‘ basket of gases ’ so that each country may tailor reduction programmes to meet their individual needs .
Furthermore , consumption is not measured in terms of tonnage but rather as ‘ tonnes of CO ₂ equivalent ’ ( tonnes
CO ₂
e ) [ 8 ], which leaves room for the use of HFCs wherever these do not damage ( at least seriously ) the environment . Only controlled substances are considered by the Kigali Amendment , to the extent that the calculated GWP of any HFC blends or HFC / HFO ( hydrofluoroolefin ) blends in fact excludes the GWP contribution of uncontrolled HFCs or substances already controlled by other parts of the protocol ( such as HCFCs ). Examples of substances not controlled by the Kigali Amendment include ( but are not limited to ):
• HFOs
• dichloromethane ( DCM )
• 1,2-Dichloroethane
• as well as nitrous oxide ( N ₂ O ) [ 6 ]
Since South Africa is considered an ‘ Article 5 – Group 1 ’ country [ 9 ], we shall moderate down to 20 % of our baseline HFC consumption ( only the controlled ones ) by January 1 , 2045 . The baseline value shall be measured over a three-year period that started in 2020 , and ends in 2022 [ 7 ].
For countries in this category a slightly greater degree of consumption is allowed compared to other groups , and reductions take place later than for non-A5 parties ( cf . European F-Gas Regulations and below in Figure 1 ). All groups are scheduled to reduce consumption in four ( 4 ) steps , as shown below in Table 1 .
Table 1 : HFCs ( Annex F ) Consumption / Production Reduction Schedule for ‘ Article 5 – Group 1 ’ countries [ 7 ].
Step : Date : Base Level Freeze January 1 , 2024 10 per cent reduction January 1 , 2029 40 per cent reduction January 1 , 2035 70 per cent reduction January 1 , 2040 80 per cent reduction January 1 , 2045 85 per cent reduction n / a
Average HFC for 2020-2022 + 65 % of HCFC baseline
Figure 1 : HFCs ( Annex F ) Consumption / Production Reduction Schedule [ 7 ].
Clearly , to accede to requirements of the Kigali Amendment , South Africa shall institute certain legal systems . In fact , South Africa only needs to extend existing legislation given the existence of systems already in use to control the consumption of CFCs and HCFCs .
“ The use of ODSs in South Africa is managed by [ the ] DEA in collaboration with South African Revenue Services ( SARS ), International Trade Administration Commission ( ITAC ) and Department of Agriculture , Forestry and Fisheries ( DAFF ). Regular engagements are held with industry stakeholders that use ODSs . Currently , any registered company that wishes to Import ODSs into South Africa is required to apply to the DEA for a recommendation . After considering the ODSs quota allocated to that particular company , the DEA recommends to ITAC for the issuance of a permit to import such ODSs . It is through the quota allocation system that ODSs are being managed and gradually phased out as required by the Montreal Protocol . The Kigali Amendment ( 2016 ) to the Montreal Protocol will need to be addressed in a similar approach , with regards to the phase-down of the consumption of HFCs ” [ 10 ].
Focal points and officials are also listed on the United Nations Environment
Programme ’ s Country Profile of South Africa [ 11 ], and regular stakeholder meetings are scheduled to chart the way forward ( for the HCFC Phase-out Management Plan [ HPMP ], stakeholder consultation meetings including both industry and government representatives were held quarterly [ 12 ]).
THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL AND SOUTH AFRICA ’ S HPMP
As described above , the phase-down of controlled HFCs ‘ overlaps ’ with the phase-out of other controlled substances , such as HCFCs – the Kigali Amendment is merely an extension of the original Montreal Protocol . Similarly , in South Africa , various controlled HFCs are simply being added to the list of other controlled substances with their own specific limits on use and intended reductions .
Insofar as the timetable for phasingout HCFCs is concerned this is governed locally by the Department of Environmental Affairs ( DEA ) and described in the ‘ HCFC Phase-out Management Plan ’ ( HPMP ). Much like the stages envisioned by Kigali Amendment the HPMP started with baseline measurements and ends after a reduced consumption allowance , as shown below in Table 2 :
South Africa ’ s commitment to the agreed HCFC phase out [ 13 ]. Action : Date : Measure baseline consumption During 2009-2010 Freeze consumption From 2013 Reduce 10.0 % By 2015 Reduce 35.0 % By 2020 Reduce 67.5 % By 2025 Allow 2.5 % annual consumption During 2030-2040
36 www . coldlinkafrica . co . za COLD LINK AFRICA • January / February 2021