The ozone hole is a story many years ago. Now it has been taken seriously again, and it has also touched the hot spot of carbon emissions. Is there a lot of question marks to answer?

Is there an international convention to protect the ozone layer like climate change?

Yes, and earlier. The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer was concluded in 1985, aiming to reduce the impact of human activities on the ozone layer and playing a key role in eliminating the ozone hole. The 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer requires the control of nearly 100 kinds of ozone depleting substances (ODS), and strives to control the global total production and consumption. Subsequently, from 1990 to 1999, the London Amendment, the Copenhagen Amendment, the Montreal Amendment and the Beijing Amendment were successively passed, gradually increasing the scope of ODS control.

How does the protection of the ozone layer work together with the control of carbon emissions?

The Kigali Amendment was adopted in Kigali, Rwanda, on October 15, 2016, bringing hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under the control of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. HFC is a common substitute for ODS and will not damage the ozone layer, but HFC is a greenhouse gas with a high global warming potential (GWP). After the adoption of the Kigali Amendment, the Montreal Protocol opened a new chapter in the history of coordinated response to ozone layer depletion and climate change. The amendment has entered into force for China on September 15, 2021.

What exactly is HFC?

HFC, the full name of hydrofluorocarbons, is not a specific chemical, but a kind of substance, which does not contain chlorine or bromine that will lead to ozone depletion. Therefore, it is a common substitute for traditional ODS, widely used in refrigeration, air conditioning and fire protection industries, and also used as a foaming agent, spray can propellant, and raw materials for the production of other chemicals.

What controlled substances have been added to the Kigali Amendment?

The amendment controls a total of 18 HFCs, including HFC-32, HFC-125, HFC-134a, HFC-143a, HFC-152a, HFC-227ea, HFC-245fa and HFC-23, and lists the GWP of each substance (indicating that the global warming effect of this substance is equivalent to a multiple of the equivalent amount of CO2).

Since HFC has practical uses and cannot be disabled across the board, what is the timetable for cutting?

China should freeze production and use at the baseline level from 2024 (the baseline is the average value of HFC from 2020 to 2022 plus 65% of the baseline level of HCFC, calculated in carbon dioxide equivalent). HFC production and use should not exceed 90% of the baseline from 2029, 70% from 2035, 50% from 2040, and 20% from 2045.

What are China's post ratification control measures?

1) On September 10, 2021, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued the Notice on Controlling the Emission of By product Trifluoromethane (HBATH [2021] No. 432). From September 15, 2021, all by-products HFC-23 shall be destroyed as far as possible and shall not be directly discharged; In addition to being used as raw material and for controlled purposes, by-product HFC-23 shall be destroyed and disposed of as far as possible using the destruction technology approved by the Conference of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

2) On September 29, 2021, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology jointly revised and released the List of Controlled Ozone Depleting Substances in China (Announcement No. 44 in 2021), supplemented the controlled substances proposed in the Kigali Amendment, and noted their main uses and reduction obligations; It is specified that controlled substances shall include isomers of such substances, as well as corresponding substances or mixtures in transport or storage containers, but not controlled substances or mixtures contained in finished products. 

3) On October 25, 2021, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs jointly revised the Directory of Controlled Ozone Depleting Substances Imported and Exported in China (Announcement No. 50 of 2021). Since November 1, 2021, China has officially started to implement the import and export license system for HFC import and export trade. After the relevant application is approved by the National Ozone Depleting Substances Import and Export Administration Office, it shall apply to the Ministry of Commerce or the license issuing agency entrusted by the Ministry of Commerce for the import and export license, go through the customs clearance formalities with the import and export license, and comply with the relevant laws and regulations.