International Agreements and Global Initiatives for Low-Carbon Cooling

Since the mid-1980s, the international community has controlled refrigerants that may damage the ozone layer and cause climate change based on several international agreements. In particular, the Montreal Protocol contributed to not only solving the ozone layer depletion problem but also limiting global warming. Given that the global demand for cooling would triple by 2050 and this rise would increase global greenhouse gas emissions significantly, the Montreal Protocol has expanded its regulatory scope to decarbonize the cooling sector through the adoption of the Kigali Amendment. Also, increasing interest in low-carbon cooling has driven the launch of various global initiatives to complement the international agreements and accelerate low-carbon cooling in developing countries. The experience of implementing the Montreal Protocol and its amendments suggests some lessons and insights for making the Kigali Amendment work well. First, each country should develop and enforce national policies aligned with international agreements. Second, financial and technical support mechanisms should be strengthened to facilitate developing countries’ compliance with the Kigali Amendment. Third, along with the improving energy efficiency of cooling, the substances that neither harm the ozone layer nor exacerbate climate change should be used as substitutes for hydrofluorocarbons. Last, the monitoring, reporting, and verification of controlled substances need to be strengthened.