BACOLOD CITY — Environmental campaigners have urged Negrenses to lead the commitment to reduce the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in the country.
Christian Aid’s climate change advisor for Asia and the Middle East, Jessica Dator-Bercilla, and Climate Reality Project Philippines manager, Rodne Galicha, made the call during a press briefing here Friday, amid the push to ratify the Philippines’ accession to the Kigali Amendment.
“Our appeal to Negros, you are a champion of a lot of climate-related solutions. We appeal to you to lead the country in committing to reduce or phase down the use of HFCs and couple it with energy efficiency. In other words, we contribute to reduce energy demand,” Dator-Bercilla said.
HFCs are purely man-made substances commonly used as cooling agents for various purposes, such as air conditioning, refrigeration systems, fire retardants, and solvents for cleaning products.
These were produced as substitutes for ozone-depleting substances, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), which were globally banned under the Montreal Protocol in 1987.
However, eventually, HFCs were found to have high global warming potential, a measure of how much heat a greenhouse traps in the atmosphere.
At present, HFCs are responsible for only 1 percent of global warming, but a study published in 2013 showed that an accelerated global HFC phasedown can prevent a 0.5-degree Celsius of global warming by 2100.
This makes the HFC phasedown important to achieve the 1.5-degree Celsius target under the Paris Agreement, campaigners said.
The Kigali Amendment, which was adopted in October 2016 in Rwanda as an addition to the Montreal Protocol, aims to reduce HFC emissions and will take effect on Jan. 1, 2019 after having been ratified by at least 20 countries.
To date, 37 states, excluding the Philippines, have ratified the Kigali Amendment.
“The call is for phase down, not phase out. We are doing this gradually,” Galicha said.
He added that in the Philippines, the civil society is working with the Philippine Ozone Desk under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Environmental Management Bureau to conduct the information campaign and lobby for accession.
Galicha said they have to obtain certificates of accession from the departments of trade, energy, and science and technology, as well as other relevant government agencies.
“These will be collated by the Department of Foreign Affairs and will be submitted to the Office of the President. The President will then send it to the Senate, which will approve the accession. The document will then be sent back to the President,” he explained.
He said that after President Rodrigo Duterte decides to sign the accession, the document will be sent to the United Nations through the Philippines’ representative.
Galicha acknowledged that the science involving HFCs could be difficult to understand for Filipinos, including Negrenses.
“However, you can help, especially in buying appliances such as air conditioning units and refrigerators. Choose those certified as using lower HFCs. The technology is already available in the market. Not only that. There should be change in our lifestyle. There are other solutions, alternatives for cooling down,” he added. (PNA)
