A DECISION on whether to include the phase down of HFCs within the remit of the Montreal Protocol has been put on ice until the Kyoto Protocol meeting in Copenhagen on December 6-18.
Representatives at the latest Montreal Protocol meeting, which ended on Sunday (November 8), debated two amendments – one from Mauritius and Micronesia and the other from Canada, Mexico and the United States – to include HFCs among the gases it regulates.

After five days of intense discussions, consensus could not be reached on whether HFCs might be better controlled and phased-down under the ozone treaty. The issue will now come before the UN climate convention meeting taking place in Copenhagen next month.

Several countries at the meeting considered proposed action under the Montreal Protocol on HFCs to be premature in advance of the Copenhagen climate meeting. Strong opponents to the proposed amendments were India and China, who raised legal issues about whether the Montreal Protocol has the jurisdiction to work on HFCs as they are not ozone depleting substances. They warned of conflicts with Kyoto and questioned whether alternatives exist to support a phase-out.

Achim Steiner, UN under-secretary general and executive director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), said: 'The Montreal Protocol continues to be a highly successful treaty in terms of its protection and repair of the ozone layer and its contribution to combating climate change. There will clearly be many who will be disappointed that nations could not see a way forward on the specific issue of HFCs at the meeting Egypt. All eyes will now be on Copenhagen to see if an initiative there by the European Union wins support.'