On 17 June 2021, the Permanent Mission of the People's Republic of China to the United Nations deposited its acceptance letter of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (hereinafter referred to as the Kigali Amendment) with the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The Kigali Amendment will enter into force for China on 15 September 2021 (temporarily not applicable to Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China).

The Kigali Amendment was adopted in Kigali, Rwanda on 15 October 2016. The Kigali Amendment brings hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under the control scope of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (hereinafter referred to as the Protocol). Although HFCs, the frequently-used alternatives to ozone depleting substances (ODS), are non-ozone depleting chemicals, they are greenhouse gases with high global warming potential (GWP). With the adoption of the Kigali Amendment, the Protocol has launched a new historical chapter on jointly addressing ozone layer depletion and climate change. Chinese government has attached great importance to the compliance of ozone layer protection and has taken solid actions in the implementation of the Protocol and achieved positive results. As the largest developing country, despite facing lots of difficulties, China has decided to accept the Kigali Amendment and will make new contributions to the protection of ozone layer and addressing climate change.

(Source: MEE)