Nearly 200 countries have signed an agreement to reduce HFCS – The Financial

Nearly 200 countries signed a binding agreement to reduce the greenhouse gases used in refrigerators and air-conditioners, an important step to combat climate change that generated a standing ovation upon being announced on Saturday.

The agreement, which includes the two largest economies in the world -united States and China-, divided the countries in three groups with different time limits to trim the use of gases, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCS) generated by the factories, which are 10 thousand times more powerful that the harmful carbon dioxide.

“it Is a breakthrough of monumental,” said the secretary of State of the united States, John Kerry, to withdraw from the meeting in Kigali, the Rwandan capital, on Friday night.

According to the agreement, developed nations, including much of Europe and the united States pledged to gradually reduce the use of HFCS, beginning with a cut of 10 percent by 2019 and reaching 85 per cent by 2036. Many rich countries have already begun to reduce their use of HFCS.

Two groups of developing nations to freeze the use of the gas for either the 2024 or 2028, and from there onwards it will gradually reduce.

India, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, and the countries of the Persian Gulf will meet later in the term, as they refused to do so before arguing that you have a middle class in rapid expansion that want to equip their homes with air conditioners. India further noted that it fears damage to its burgeoning industries.

“last year in Paris we promised to keep the world safe from the worst effects of climate change. Today, we’re making progress on that promise,” said the head of the United Nations Environment Erik Solheim in a statement, referring to the climate agreement in Paris in 2015.

unlike the Paris agreement, the covenant sealed in Kigali is legally binding, it has specific deadlines and the commitment of rich countries to help poorer nations to adapt their technologies.

According to scientists, a rapid reduction of HFCS could be an important contribution to slow climate change, avoiding perhaps 0.5 degrees Celsius of the estimated increase of average global temperatures by 2100.