Countries begin talks in Rwanda for phasing down HFC

Environment Ministers and policymakers from nearly 200 nations began bilateral meetings here as the Conference on Montreal Protocol for securing a deal for phasing down of climate-warming hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) emissions entered final day today.
Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave, who has arrived in the Rwandan capital for attending the high-level segment of the conference, held a number of bilateral meetings including one with his counterpart of Morocco Hakima El Haite, and articulated India's position on securing an ambitious deal, sources said.
Dave also held bilateral meeting with a South African delegation.
A bilateral meeting between Dave and US Secretary of State John Kerry scheduled here this morning are expected to be held to iron-out differences between developed and developing countries in securing a perfect deal, sources said.

Playing its cards very carefully, India yesterday displayed its commitment by announcing to destroy HFC-23, a super greenhouse gas, in its all five HCFC-22 plants operating in the country. HFC-23 is as a by-product of HCFC-22 production.
India would not change its position on key contentious issues including baseline, freeze year schedule, sources said.

India is in favour of having two different HFC phase-down schedule for developing countries -- one for China and whoever else wants to join China and other for the remaining developing countries.
China is currently the world's largest producer of HFCs and consumes 20 times more than India.

India has agreed to consider preponing the baseline to 2025 and 2026 and cut HFC consumption by 10 per cent by 2032, if developed countries agree to freeze their HFC consumption by 2016 and reduce HFC consumption by 70 per cent by 2026 or 2027.
Currently, developed countries are planning to reduce their HFC consumption by 70 per cent by 2030.
In the past, India has proposed baseline for developing countries as average consumption of HFCs in year 2028, 2029 and 2030 and Freeze year of 2031.
Addressing the delegates at Kigali Convention centre yesterday, Dave urged the developed world to address finance and technology transfer issues while phasing-down the climate-damaging HFCs.

Dave has asked the developed world to be "crystal clear" on addressing the issue of technology and finance otherwise it will be difficult for the small island nations and developing nations to accept such a proposal.