The Government has announced today it is taking action to reduce potent greenhouse gases, with today's ratification of an agreement to reduce the levels of hydrofluorocarbon gases in the Earth's atmosphere.
“The global agreement to reduce these potent greenhouse gases is another step in New Zealand’s commitment to reduce global warming. It is estimated that this will avoid 0.5 degrees of warming by the end of the Century,” Minister for Climate Change James Shaw said in a statement.
The Kigali Amendment, which New Zealand ratified today in New York alongside a number of countries, is an international agreement to reduce the levels of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) gases in the Earth’s atmosphere.
"This is major news for achieving our commitments under the Paris Agreement to cap global warming to 1.5 degrees” Mr Shaw said.
"HFCs were developed to replace other gases banned by the 1987 Montreal Protocol. The Montreal Protocol has resulted in a significant rebuilding of the Earth’s crucial ozone layer, with projections of up to 2 million fewer skin cancer cases by 2030.
“However, since its introduction, science has since shown that HFC gases – which replaced those banned by the Protocol – are potent greenhouse gases. HFCs capture heat from the sun and release it into the Earth's atmosphere – in some cases up to 14,800 times more so than carbon dioxide,” says Eugenie Sage in a statement.
“The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol commits industrialised and developing member countries to reduce their HFC production and use over time.
"By 2036, HFC consumption will be 85 per cent less than in 2020,” she said.
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