US senate approves measures to reduce potent greenhouse gas emissions

Chlorofluorocarbons and hydrofluorocarbons have both been used as coolants, and both have presented environmental challenges.Credit: NOAA

On September 21st, the United States Senate successfully approved the Kigali Amendment of the Montreal Protocol with strong bipartisan support. The Kigali Amendment, negotiated under the Obama administration in 2016, is an international agreement to phase-out and replace hydrofluorocarbons, a class of chemicals that act as potent greenhouse gasses. In 2020, Congress approved the 2020 American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act which set a path for an 85% reduction in HFC emissions by the year 2036. The approval of the Kigali Amendment, as well as scientific leadership, has positioned the U.S. for technological leadership in the reduction and replacement of HFCs, as well as for further reductions in various greenhouse gas emissions. While legislation is driving a national phasedown of these harmful chemicals, the approval of the Kigali Amendment shows the United States’ commitment to the international effort to reduce powerful greenhouse gasses.
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