{"id":86856,"date":"2026-10-15T18:18:51","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T12:48:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=86856"},"modified":"2026-10-15T18:19:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T12:49:13","slug":"kigali-amendment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/15-10-2026\/kigali-amendment","title":{"rendered":"The Kigali Amendment at 10: Why India\u2019s Cooling Choices Matter?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol<\/strong> that was adopted on 15 October 2016 marks a decade of global efforts to<strong> reduce hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is the Kigali Amendment?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Background: <\/strong>The Montreal Protocol, adopted in 1987, was designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out ozone-depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Why was it needed? <\/strong>HFCs were widely adopted as alternatives to CFCs because they do not deplete the ozone layer. However, many HFCs have a high global warming potential.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Adoption:<\/strong> It was adopted in Kigali, Rwanda, on 15 October 2016, and entered into force on 1 January 2019.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Objective<\/strong>: To gradually reduce HFC production and consumption worldwide. It is a phase-down, not a complete phase-out.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Climate benefit:<\/strong> Full implementation could prevent approximately 0.3\u00b0C\u20130.5\u00b0C of global warming by 2100.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Important Refrigerants: CFCs vs HFCs<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbons)<\/strong>: Damage the stratospheric ozone layer and also contribute to global warming.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>HFCs (Hydrofluorocarbons)<\/strong>: Do not directly deplete the ozone layer but many have a high global warming potential.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Low (Global Warming Potential) alternatives:<\/strong> Options such as ammonia, carbon dioxide and certain hydrocarbons can reduce climate impacts, subject to equipment requirements and safety considerations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why is Cooling Important for Climate Action?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Cooling affects the climate in two major ways:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Refrigerant emissions:<\/strong> HFCs can escape from air-conditioners, refrigerators and other cooling equipment, contributing to global warming.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Electricity consumption:<\/strong> Cooling equipment consumes electricity, which can cause emissions when power is generated using fossil fuels.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>India&#8217;s Commitments under the Kigali Amendment<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ratification:<\/strong> India ratified the amendment in 2021.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>HFC freeze:<\/strong> India is required to freeze HFC production and consumption at its agreed baseline in 2028.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reduction schedule:<\/strong> The first reduction is 10% below the baseline in 2032, followed by progressively deeper reductions, reaching 85% in 2047.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Key challenge<\/strong>: India&#8217;s cooling demand is expected to rise with increasing temperatures, urbanisation, incomes and access to air-conditioning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What More Needs to Be Done?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Improve energy efficiency:<\/strong> Strengthen appliance standards so that new cooling equipment uses less electricity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Manage refrigerants: <\/strong>Recover, recycle or safely destroy refrigerants from old equipment to prevent leakage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>\u00a0Support industry:<\/strong> Provide access to suitable technology, finance and training for manufacturers and technicians.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strengthen implementation:<\/strong> Improve servicing practices, refrigerant recovery systems and monitoring of HFC use.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Multilateral Fund&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Multilateral Fund<\/strong>: Established in 1990 to help developing countries meet their obligations under the Montreal Protocol.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Purpose<\/strong>: Supports technology conversion, capacity-building and training.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Significance:<\/strong> Financial and technical assistance helps developing countries adopt alternatives without placing the entire transition cost on domestic industries.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-climate\/the-kigali-amendment-at-10-why-indias-cooling-choices-matter-10921839\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IE<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> In Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol that was adopted on 15 October 2016 marks a decade of global efforts to reduce hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).\u00a0 <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> What is the Kigali Amendment? <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Background: The Montreal Protocol, adopted in 1987, was designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out ozone-depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Why was it needed? HFCs were widely adopted as alternatives to CFCs because they do not deplete the ozone layer. However, many HFCs have a high global warming potential. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/15-10-2026\/kigali-amendment \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-86856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86856"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86856\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86858,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86856\/revisions\/86858"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}