Photo by Img Ly/Unsplash
29 Oct 2021 Speech Climate Action

Climate action through the Montreal Protocol and its Kigali Amendment

Photo by Img Ly/Unsplash
Speech delivered by: Inger Andersen
For: Combined online twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (part II) and Thirty-Third Meeting of the Parties – High-Level session
Location: Nairobi

Distinguished delegates representing the parties to the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol, and all other ozone stakeholders;  

Mr. Cheikh Sylla of Senegal, President of the twelfth meeting of the Vienna Convention Conference of the Parties,  

Mr. Ezzat Lewis of Egypt, Acting President of the Thirty-Second Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol

Let me begin by commending the Parties for remaining committed to the Montreal Protocol during the pandemic, which has now dragged on for almost two years. You have conducted complex negotiations, across different time zones and pushed through the fatigue we are all feeling. 

As Parties continue to deliberate online, I wish all delegates success in reaching positive outcomes at this COP/MOP, including some interim decisions on the Multilateral Fund for the implementation of the Montreal Protocol, a vital funding tool and cornerstone of the protocol.  

Please allow me to also congratulate Parties on the swift action taken to deal with the unexpected rise in CFC-11 emissions detected in 2018. The latest Scientific Assessment Report, issued in April, confirms that CFC-11 emissions have declined again to pre-2013 levels and that the recovery of the ozone layer has not been impacted substantially. 

This result is a testament to science, atmospheric monitoring and, of course, swift follow-up action. If we strengthen science and atmospheric monitoring, future unexpected emissions could be detected and dealt with even faster. 

Friends,  

Let me now turn to the hottest issue of the moment: climate change. As you know, the climate COP is about to get underway in Glasgow, at the end of a year that saw floods, heatwaves, wildfires and other climate impacts intensify and spread across the globe. Unfortunately, nations still aren’t doing enough to limit climate change. The latest edition of the UNEP Emissions Gap Report found that, even with updated climate promises, we are still on track for a 2.7°Celsius temperature rise this century. This would be a disaster. 

This lag in climate action makes the Montreal Protocol, and its Kigali Amendment, even more important. Parties’ efforts under the Montreal Protocol have already made a big contribution to slowing climate change: both because some refrigerant gases were climate warming and because protecting the ozone layer protects biodiversity. For example, estimates suggest that there could have been 325–690 billion tonnes less carbon held in plants and soils by the end of this century without the Montreal Protocol.   

Now, though, nations must look to what more they can do through the Kigali Amendment. I congratulate the 127 Parties that have ratified the amendment and urge those who have not to do so. Full ratification of the Kigali Amendment could avoid up to 0.4°C of temperature increase. Adding in work on energy efficient technologies in the cooling industry could potentially double the climate benefits. We need this result badly. 

We must also remember that the Kigali Amendment can have a positive impact on food security and delivering vaccines where they are most needed – by aiding the adoption of environmentally friendly cooling technologies, for example, in the cold chain. This will have a knock-on effect for the climate, as food waste and loss is a big contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.  

The Rome Declaration on the Contribution of the Montreal Protocol to Food Loss Reduction through Sustainable Cold Chain Development, along with the dialogue organized at the Food Systems Summit, are paving the way towards these goals. 

Friends,  

The Montreal Protocol is a critical international agreement. It has already delivered on many areas of the Sustainable Development Goals, from life on land and below water, to reducing hunger, to human health and well-being.  

I congratulate the Parties for everything they have achieved so far. If Parties can build on this success and deliver on the full potential of the Kigali Amendment, this agreement will go down in history as one of the key processes that put humanity on track to a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable future. 

Thank you.