PH commits to phase down of HFC consumption

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To step up its commitment to the reduction of global warming, the Philippines will gradually phase-down its consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a potent greenhouse gas used as an alternative coolant in refrigerators and air conditioners.

Last October 15, 2016, the Philippines, together with 196 countries that are signatories to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, agreed to amend the Protocol to include the phase-down of HFC, a super greenhouse gas, which is being used as alternative refrigerant.

Its inclusion was made possible through the Kigali Amendment.

Environment and Natural Resources Undersecretary Jonas Leones explained that the Montreal Protocol was an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances known as ozone-depleting substances (ODS) that are responsible for the thinning of the ozone layer.

The Philippines signed the Montreal Protocol on September 14, 1988, and ratified it on March 21, 1991.

The country was able to ban five of the six groups of ODS namely, chlorofluorocarbons, halons, carbon tetrachloride, methyl chloroform and methyl bromide, a non-quarantine pre-shipment.

The remaining group of ODS to be phased out by January 1, 2040 is hydrochlorofluorocarbons or HCFCs.

Leones pointed out that HFCs were developed after the phase-out of ODS.

Although the HFC is not an ODS, it is classified as a greenhouse gas, which can significantly contribute to global warming, he said.

Studies show that it "has high global warming potentials and are rapidly increasing in the atmosphere," Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu said.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is appealing to the refrigeration and air conditioning industry to support the gradual phase-down of HFCs.

The Kigali Amendment is calling for developed nations to start the phasedown of HFCs by 2019 and in developing countries, including the Philippines, to follow with a freeze or ban in importation by 2024.

The Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol has provided over $3.5 billion to developing countries to phase-out ODS.

Several alternatives to HFC have been proposed, such as carbon dioxide, ammonia and hydrocarbons.

"Countries are still in the process of exploring alternatives that are affordable and available and how soon we can comply with the phasedown. We have ample time to determine our baseline and look for other alternatives," DENR Undersecretary Juan Miguel Cuna said.