Progress towards phasing out HFCs was curtailed at the annual Montreal Protocol summit in Bangkok, which took place last week.
According to reports, India is opposed to the issue coming under the Montreal Protocol as proposed by the US, and wants to see it addressed under the Kyoto Protocol instead. The reasoning behind India's objection is that the Montreal Protocol was designed to phase out substances that are specifically ozone-depleting, which HFCs are not considered to be.

The proposal submitted by the US is that HFCs be monitored under the Montreal Protocol on the basis that they are a direct replacement for the previous ozone damaging chemicals.

The Kyoto Protocol would also see the onus rest on richer countries with greater emissions of ozone-depleting gases.

However, other countries are of the opinion that the phase out of HFCs in developing countries will be possible only through support from the Montreal Protocol's Multilateral Fund - which was established in 1991 to assist those countries in meeting their Montreal Protocol commitments.

The Warsaw Climate Change Conference takes place 11 to 22 November, incorporating the Kyoto Protocol, and there are hopes that the issue of HFC phase out is addressed there.