U.S. Senate, on September 21 voted to ratify the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, an international agreement to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are super-pollutants used in refrigeration and air conditioning appliances and a major contributor to climate change. A statement by President Joe Biden on Senate Ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol reads: “Today, the Senate delivered a historic, bipartisan win for American workers and industry. Ratifying the Kigali Amendment will allow us to lead the clean technology markets of the future, by innovating and manufacturing those technologies here in America.” He said that ratification will spur the growth of manufacturing jobs, strengthen U.S. competitiveness, and advance the global effort to combat the climate crisis. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)- the super-polluting chemicals are hundreds to thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide according to scientists. A statement by the White House adds: “The American companies are already leading on innovation and manufacturing of HFC alternatives—and today’s vote will help our nation unlock an estimated 33,000 new domestic manufacturing jobs, $4.8 billion each year in increased exports, and $12.5 billion each year in increased economic output.” Congress previously enacted the bipartisan American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act in 2020 to reduce national HFC production and import and provide resources for the transition of the HFC market. In 2021, the Biden administration finalized a rule outlined in the AIM Act to phase down the production and consumption of HFCs 85% below baseline levels within the next 15 years. The Kigali Amendment will help the world prevent up to 0.5 °C (0.9 °F) of additional temperature rise by the end of the century. “In addition to the major climate benefits, investments from ratification could create thousands of new jobs and generate billions for the U.S. economy in the next decade,” Biden's statement adds. United States senate, with broad bipartisan support, ratified by a 69-27 vote the global treaty as reported by Washingtonpost.com. The United States became the 137th country to ratify the amendment — and negotiators said the move would encourage the remaining nations to follow suit. “This builds on the steps my Administration is already taking to phase down these dangerous super pollutants, with the support of Democrats and Republicans, industry leaders, and environmental organizations. The United States is back at the table leading the fight against climate change,” Biden said in the statement. U.S. climate envoy John F. Kerry, who was in the Rwandan capital of Kigali when the amendment was negotiated, said the Senate vote “was a decade in the making and a profound victory for the climate and the American economy.” The treaty, which had to win support of at least two-thirds of the Senate, brought together an unusual coalition of supporters including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers as well as the Natural Resources Defense Council. In a statement, Kerry said that “businesses supported it because it drives American exports; climate advocates championed it because it will avoid up to half a degree of global warming by the end of the century; and world leaders backed it because it ensures strong international cooperation.” Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said that ratifying the Kigali Amendment and adopting the Inflation Reduction Act was “the strongest one-two punch against climate change any Congress has ever taken.” U.S. industrial makers of air conditioning push Most U.S. industrial makers of air conditioning had already been pushing for the adoption of the treaty in the name of American jobs and competitiveness. “The Senate is signaling that Kigali counts for the jobs it will create; for global competitive advantage it creates; the additional exports that will result and it counts for U.S. technology preeminence,” Stephen Yurek, president of the Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute said in a statement. He said that U.S. manufacturers already supply 75 percent of the world’s air-conditioning equipment and that global demand was “exploding. Dan Lashof, Director of World Resources Institute (WRI) headquartered in United States said that by ratifying the Kigali Amendment, the U.S. is now aligned with 137 other countries working to phase down climate-warming super pollutants and avoid additional emissions that contribute to climate change. “This action by the U.S. will encourage other countries to join the agreement and send a strong signal to the rest of the world that the nation is serious about addressing the climate crisis and investing in a cleaner, more sustainable economy,” he said. “The Kigali Amendment will unlock billions of dollars in new investment to produce more energy efficient American-made appliances,” he said
