Developed nations' move to set up contact group on HFCs fails

Notwithstanding India's "positive stand" on phasing down climate-damaging hydrofluorocarbons, a US-led developed nations' effort to set up a contact group to discuss the issue failed due to strong resistance by oil- producing Arab nations and Pakistan at a UN conference here.
Till last year, India had led the developing nations to block the efforts to phase down ozone friendly hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), arguing that the Montreal Protocol does not have the mandate to discuss the issue.
However, this time India, in line with the joint statement signed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama, adopted a "positive stand" on the issue at the Joint Meeting of the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention and the 26th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol, which is underway here.

The efforts by the US and its partners failed despite India's "positive stand" on the issue at the UN Conference on Montreal Protocol here, sources privy to the development said.
At the informal meeting of the parties, Gulf nations and Pakistan strongly opposed the developed nations' move to set up the contact group, sources said.
The informal discussion on the management of climate- damaging HFCs was held after nations assembled here agreed for a European Union proposal in this regard.

Talking to reporters, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said Montreal Protocol was a "successful treaty". He said that consensus is "very vital" for the success of the treaty.

Earlier in the day, addressing a high-level ministerial segment at the conference, India called for a "political consensus" on the issue and urged the UN to convene a special session of the Montreal Protocol to address concerns of developing nations to be impacted by such a treaty.
Showing flexibility in its approach to the issue of phasing down of HFCs at the UN conference on Montreal Protocol here, Javadekar said that the nations should agree for an Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) for phasing down of the greenhouse gas.
"...Each countries have its own Intended Nationally Determined Contributions. They are nationally determined, and of course not internationally determined," Javadekar said about India's view on phasing down of HFCs.

He said India was ready to cooperate in solving the issue provided demands by the developing countries for technology transfer and finance are met.