Saint Lucia has ratified the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, becoming the 127th country, plus the European Union to ratify the global agreement to reduce HFC emissions.
The Caribbean island nation’s ratification went into effect on November 2, according to the United Nations website. Other Caribbean nations to have ratified Kigali include Barbados (April 19, 2018), the Dominican Republic (April 14, 2021), Grenada (May 29, 2018) and Trinidad and Tobago (November 17, 2017).
As part of the Article 5 (developing) countries – Group 1, St Lucia is required to freeze HFC production and use in 2024, with an 80% reduction by 2045.
Fully implemented, the Kigali Amendment would avoid up to a 0.4°C (0.7°F) increase in the global temperature by the end of the century, according to UN estimates.
The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol was enacted by 197 countries (plus the EU) in October 2016. It entered into force on January 1, 2019. Its goal is to achieve at least an 80% reduction in HFC consumption by 2047.
For an in-depth look at the Kigali Amendment, click here.
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