The document discusses India seizing the opportunity to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under the Montreal Protocol. It summarizes the recent agreement between the US and China to work together to phase down HFCs and how this opens the door for significant progress this year. It argues that leadership from India in supporting the HFC agreement would show the largest emitters working together to address climate change and could be viewed as a turning point in climate protection efforts.
Climate change is any change in climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity and that alters the composition of the global atmosphere (United Nations 1992). Climate change is caused by the increment of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels and land use (United Nations 1992). This causes increased radiation of infrared rays back to the earth hence temperature increases through the greenhouse gas effect.
Climate change worldwide is affecting biophysical and social systems (Maitima. J. et al 2009). The spatial extent and intensity of these effects vary geographically from one place to another depending on the location in the global atmospheric systems, regional settings, land cover, land use patterns, topography and weather patterns (Maitima. J. et al 2009). These effects have become a major concern for most countries of the world due to their longterm implications and adverse effects on development activities with developing and underdeveloped nations being the most affected (ECOLAO 2012) Indigenous people are most vulnerable to impacts of climate change due to their high reliance on climate sensitive natural resources, inhabitation of fragile ecosystems and social, economic plus political marginalization (ECOLAO 2012).
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international environmental treaty (also known as a multilateral environmental agreement) that was opened for signature at the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 and came into force in 1994.
The ultimate objective of the Convention is to “stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system." It states that "such a level should be achieved within a time-frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened, and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.“ 194 countries signed the UNFCCC showing near universal agreement that there is a problem and that action is required against climate change.
Its all about How environmental issues were raised and how world nation ended up signing for this Paris agreement.
Then there are impacts of America's withdrawal plus role of China and India.
Climate change is any change in climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity and that alters the composition of the global atmosphere (United Nations 1992). Climate change is caused by the increment of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels and land use (United Nations 1992). This causes increased radiation of infrared rays back to the earth hence temperature increases through the greenhouse gas effect.
Climate change worldwide is affecting biophysical and social systems (Maitima. J. et al 2009). The spatial extent and intensity of these effects vary geographically from one place to another depending on the location in the global atmospheric systems, regional settings, land cover, land use patterns, topography and weather patterns (Maitima. J. et al 2009). These effects have become a major concern for most countries of the world due to their longterm implications and adverse effects on development activities with developing and underdeveloped nations being the most affected (ECOLAO 2012) Indigenous people are most vulnerable to impacts of climate change due to their high reliance on climate sensitive natural resources, inhabitation of fragile ecosystems and social, economic plus political marginalization (ECOLAO 2012).
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international environmental treaty (also known as a multilateral environmental agreement) that was opened for signature at the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 and came into force in 1994.
The ultimate objective of the Convention is to “stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system." It states that "such a level should be achieved within a time-frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened, and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.“ 194 countries signed the UNFCCC showing near universal agreement that there is a problem and that action is required against climate change.
Its all about How environmental issues were raised and how world nation ended up signing for this Paris agreement.
Then there are impacts of America's withdrawal plus role of China and India.
Presentaion on carbon credits and kyoto protocolAnkit Agrawal
To combat these changes globally, Kyoto Protocol was created and has been
agreed upon by 170 countries so far, committing themselves to reduce Green
House Gas Emissions and improve Energy Efficiency.
• The Kyoto Protocol envisages reduction of Green House Gases by 5.2% in the
period 2008-12.
• New System of Carbon Credits is Introduced in the texts of Kyoto Protocol is
being formalised to bring more awareness in Industries to reduce their annual
carbon emission by awarding monetary value to reduced emission taking us
towards eco-friendly future
•Through this Presentation we are going to bring into focus
these two main International steps on combating the new evil
“Global Warming”.
COPENHAGEN CLIMATE TREATY INITIATED BY GERMAN WATCH, DAVID SUZUKI FOUNDATION, WWWF INTERNATIONAL, GREENPEACE INTERNATIONAL, NATIONAL ECOLOGICAL CENTER OF UKRAINE & IndyACT
WWF: Policy Expectations for COP 19 WarsawWWF ITALIA
Oggi possiamo salvare il clima e conquistare un futuro di benessere per noi e i nostri figli. Bruciare i combustibili fossili per procurarsi energia e calore ha portato la concentrazione di CO2 in atmosfera ai livelli di 3 milioni di anni fa. Dobbiamo riconquistare l'energia, puntare sulle fonti rinnovabili e l’efficienza energetica. Occorre investire le risorse pubbliche e private nel nostro futuro. E invece i nostri soldi continuano a finanziare il passato fossile. E' ora di cambiare noi, non il clima." Mariagrazia Midulla, Responsabile Clima ed Energia
http://www.wwf.it/riprenditilenergia.cfm
In today's milieu we all are facing an issue of global warming. Global warming occurs when carbon dioxide (CO2) and other air pollutants collect in the atmosphere and absorb sunlight and solar radiation that have bounced off the earth’s surface. Normally, this radiation would escape into space—but these pollutants, which can last for years to centuries in the atmosphere, trap the heat and cause the planet to get hotter. So, To combat with this issue a KYOTO PROTOCOL agrrement signed in 1977.
The paris global climate agreement (cop 21) and its non complianceFernando Alcoforado
The Paris Accord does not address fundamental issues, and the voluntary targets indicated by each nation are not sufficient to ensure that global warming will be well below 2 degrees Celsius and 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2100. In addition, the document is failing to present proposals that contribute to building a model of sustainable development on our planet in place of the current unsustainable model of capitalist development. Another issue not addressed at COP 21 concerns wars, which is also largely responsible for the worsening environment of the planet, which is proliferating around the world. The Paris Accord is also silent on the construction of a system of governance on the planet capable of ensuring the reorganization of the world economy that is leading the world to depression, the environment of the planet threatened by catastrophic climate change and international relations that worsen every day fueling the proliferation of wars.
Two years of NewsLeTERRE. Two years of adding meaning sustainable living. Two years of giving back, satisfaction and rejuvenation. Two years of Emergence of ideas of giving back to our TERRE.
Presentaion on carbon credits and kyoto protocolAnkit Agrawal
To combat these changes globally, Kyoto Protocol was created and has been
agreed upon by 170 countries so far, committing themselves to reduce Green
House Gas Emissions and improve Energy Efficiency.
• The Kyoto Protocol envisages reduction of Green House Gases by 5.2% in the
period 2008-12.
• New System of Carbon Credits is Introduced in the texts of Kyoto Protocol is
being formalised to bring more awareness in Industries to reduce their annual
carbon emission by awarding monetary value to reduced emission taking us
towards eco-friendly future
•Through this Presentation we are going to bring into focus
these two main International steps on combating the new evil
“Global Warming”.
COPENHAGEN CLIMATE TREATY INITIATED BY GERMAN WATCH, DAVID SUZUKI FOUNDATION, WWWF INTERNATIONAL, GREENPEACE INTERNATIONAL, NATIONAL ECOLOGICAL CENTER OF UKRAINE & IndyACT
WWF: Policy Expectations for COP 19 WarsawWWF ITALIA
Oggi possiamo salvare il clima e conquistare un futuro di benessere per noi e i nostri figli. Bruciare i combustibili fossili per procurarsi energia e calore ha portato la concentrazione di CO2 in atmosfera ai livelli di 3 milioni di anni fa. Dobbiamo riconquistare l'energia, puntare sulle fonti rinnovabili e l’efficienza energetica. Occorre investire le risorse pubbliche e private nel nostro futuro. E invece i nostri soldi continuano a finanziare il passato fossile. E' ora di cambiare noi, non il clima." Mariagrazia Midulla, Responsabile Clima ed Energia
http://www.wwf.it/riprenditilenergia.cfm
In today's milieu we all are facing an issue of global warming. Global warming occurs when carbon dioxide (CO2) and other air pollutants collect in the atmosphere and absorb sunlight and solar radiation that have bounced off the earth’s surface. Normally, this radiation would escape into space—but these pollutants, which can last for years to centuries in the atmosphere, trap the heat and cause the planet to get hotter. So, To combat with this issue a KYOTO PROTOCOL agrrement signed in 1977.
The paris global climate agreement (cop 21) and its non complianceFernando Alcoforado
The Paris Accord does not address fundamental issues, and the voluntary targets indicated by each nation are not sufficient to ensure that global warming will be well below 2 degrees Celsius and 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2100. In addition, the document is failing to present proposals that contribute to building a model of sustainable development on our planet in place of the current unsustainable model of capitalist development. Another issue not addressed at COP 21 concerns wars, which is also largely responsible for the worsening environment of the planet, which is proliferating around the world. The Paris Accord is also silent on the construction of a system of governance on the planet capable of ensuring the reorganization of the world economy that is leading the world to depression, the environment of the planet threatened by catastrophic climate change and international relations that worsen every day fueling the proliferation of wars.
Two years of NewsLeTERRE. Two years of adding meaning sustainable living. Two years of giving back, satisfaction and rejuvenation. Two years of Emergence of ideas of giving back to our TERRE.
Can we write about Earth Day without referring to Climate Change? Most of the International and National organizations would respond negatively.
For a change, our present issue of NewsLeTERRE tries to respond positively. Let us for a CHANGE not talk about Climate CHANGE!
Special issue on World Environment Day 2014.
The world has to raise voice and NOT sea level…but we have also to raise bar of our ambition. Read the special issue World Environment Day -2014
Last month was busy time for TeamTERRE. A group of seven PhD students from Princeton University, USA spent one week with urban and rural students in Pune and Satara ( State of Maharashtra , India) to launch project on Energy Efficiency college Campuses. Early June on the eve of World Environment Day TERRE launched the Global Union for Sustainability ( GUS) in Asia Pacific. The present issue of NewsleTERRE you will find a brief report on the energy efficiency project , and an overview of the launch of the GUS along with regular features. Do send us your feedback which we would be happy to publish in next issue. Happy reading!
TOO4TO Module 3 / Climate Change and Sustainability: Part 1TOO4TO
This presentation is part of the Sustainable Management: Tools for Tomorrow (TOO4TO) learning materials. It covers the following topic: Climate Change and Sustainability (Module 3). The material consists of 3 parts. This presentation covers Part 1.
You can find all TOO4TO Modules and their presentations here: https://too4to.eu/e-learning-course/
TOO4TO was a 35-month EU-funded Erasmus+ project, running until August 2023 in co-operation with European strategic partner institutions of the Gdańsk University of Technology (Poland), the Kaunas University of Technology (Lithuania), Turku University of Applied Sciences (Finland) and Global Impact Grid (Germany).
TOO4TO aims to increase the skills, competencies and awareness of future managers and employees with available tools and methods that can provide sustainable management and, as a result, support sustainable development in the EU and beyond.
Read more about the project here: https://too4to.eu/
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. Its whole content reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. PROJECT NUMBER 2020-1-PL01-KA203-082076
The Problem Of The Kyoto Protocol
Kyoto Protocol Essay
The Kyoto Protocol
Kyoto Protocol Research Paper
Kyoto Protocol : Success Or Failure?
The Kyoto Protocol Essay
Kyoto Protocol and The Obligations of the Parties
Global Warming and the Kyoto Protocol Essay
Essay about Kyoto Protocol
Kyoto Protocol Essay
Kyoto Protocol Canada
The Impact Of The Kyoto Protocol
Kyoto Protocol And The Protocol
Kyoto Protocol Essay
The Pros And Cons Of The Kyoto Protocol
The Pros And Cons Of Kyoto Protocol
The US Involvement In The Kyoto Protocol
This is a hand out for global policies to answer the impact of Climate Change and Save the Biodiversity. I have only included policies wherein the Philippines are engaged and participating.
News Letter August 2017. Smart Campus Cloud Network.
Everything we consume for the rest of the year is stolen from the future. Earth Overshoot Day has to be taken seriously!!
News LeTTERE July 2017 tells the story of Endangered Sea Turtles . 6 out of 7 are threatened. 1 out of 1000 reach adulthood. Climate change is the cause
News and announcements on
1.Stockholm Water Prize
2. A journalist can never be an activist.’ session of Rendezvous.
3. Green Olympiad, A great chance for the school, college students to be the green ambassador.
4. Earth Care Award, September 2015
5. TERRE Education Kit for the teachers across Maharashtra, India
6. Details about TERRE Youth Conference 2015, news of plantation programme of the month. , Quiz to rock and roll your brains, Number of the month, Global environmental news....
JMeter webinar - integration with InfluxDB and GrafanaRTTS
Watch this recorded webinar about real-time monitoring of application performance. See how to integrate Apache JMeter, the open-source leader in performance testing, with InfluxDB, the open-source time-series database, and Grafana, the open-source analytics and visualization application.
In this webinar, we will review the benefits of leveraging InfluxDB and Grafana when executing load tests and demonstrate how these tools are used to visualize performance metrics.
Length: 30 minutes
Session Overview
-------------------------------------------
During this webinar, we will cover the following topics while demonstrating the integrations of JMeter, InfluxDB and Grafana:
- What out-of-the-box solutions are available for real-time monitoring JMeter tests?
- What are the benefits of integrating InfluxDB and Grafana into the load testing stack?
- Which features are provided by Grafana?
- Demonstration of InfluxDB and Grafana using a practice web application
To view the webinar recording, go to:
https://www.rttsweb.com/jmeter-integration-webinar
Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey 2024 by 91mobiles.pdf91mobiles
91mobiles recently conducted a Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey in which we asked over 3,000 respondents about the TV they own, aspects they look at on a new TV, and their TV buying preferences.
Slack (or Teams) Automation for Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Soluti...Jeffrey Haguewood
Sidekick Solutions uses Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Solutions Apricot) and automation solutions to integrate data for business workflows.
We believe integration and automation are essential to user experience and the promise of efficient work through technology. Automation is the critical ingredient to realizing that full vision. We develop integration products and services for Bonterra Case Management software to support the deployment of automations for a variety of use cases.
This video focuses on the notifications, alerts, and approval requests using Slack for Bonterra Impact Management. The solutions covered in this webinar can also be deployed for Microsoft Teams.
Interested in deploying notification automations for Bonterra Impact Management? Contact us at sales@sidekicksolutionsllc.com to discuss next steps.
"Impact of front-end architecture on development cost", Viktor TurskyiFwdays
I have heard many times that architecture is not important for the front-end. Also, many times I have seen how developers implement features on the front-end just following the standard rules for a framework and think that this is enough to successfully launch the project, and then the project fails. How to prevent this and what approach to choose? I have launched dozens of complex projects and during the talk we will analyze which approaches have worked for me and which have not.
The Art of the Pitch: WordPress Relationships and SalesLaura Byrne
Clients don’t know what they don’t know. What web solutions are right for them? How does WordPress come into the picture? How do you make sure you understand scope and timeline? What do you do if sometime changes?
All these questions and more will be explored as we talk about matching clients’ needs with what your agency offers without pulling teeth or pulling your hair out. Practical tips, and strategies for successful relationship building that leads to closing the deal.
Accelerate your Kubernetes clusters with Varnish CachingThijs Feryn
A presentation about the usage and availability of Varnish on Kubernetes. This talk explores the capabilities of Varnish caching and shows how to use the Varnish Helm chart to deploy it to Kubernetes.
This presentation was delivered at K8SUG Singapore. See https://feryn.eu/presentations/accelerate-your-kubernetes-clusters-with-varnish-caching-k8sug-singapore-28-2024 for more details.
Essentials of Automations: Optimizing FME Workflows with ParametersSafe Software
Are you looking to streamline your workflows and boost your projects’ efficiency? Do you find yourself searching for ways to add flexibility and control over your FME workflows? If so, you’re in the right place.
Join us for an insightful dive into the world of FME parameters, a critical element in optimizing workflow efficiency. This webinar marks the beginning of our three-part “Essentials of Automation” series. This first webinar is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills to utilize parameters effectively: enhancing the flexibility, maintainability, and user control of your FME projects.
Here’s what you’ll gain:
- Essentials of FME Parameters: Understand the pivotal role of parameters, including Reader/Writer, Transformer, User, and FME Flow categories. Discover how they are the key to unlocking automation and optimization within your workflows.
- Practical Applications in FME Form: Delve into key user parameter types including choice, connections, and file URLs. Allow users to control how a workflow runs, making your workflows more reusable. Learn to import values and deliver the best user experience for your workflows while enhancing accuracy.
- Optimization Strategies in FME Flow: Explore the creation and strategic deployment of parameters in FME Flow, including the use of deployment and geometry parameters, to maximize workflow efficiency.
- Pro Tips for Success: Gain insights on parameterizing connections and leveraging new features like Conditional Visibility for clarity and simplicity.
We’ll wrap up with a glimpse into future webinars, followed by a Q&A session to address your specific questions surrounding this topic.
Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your FME expertise and drive your projects to new heights of efficiency.
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 4DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 4. In this session, we will cover Test Manager overview along with SAP heatmap.
The UiPath Test Manager overview with SAP heatmap webinar offers a concise yet comprehensive exploration of the role of a Test Manager within SAP environments, coupled with the utilization of heatmaps for effective testing strategies.
Participants will gain insights into the responsibilities, challenges, and best practices associated with test management in SAP projects. Additionally, the webinar delves into the significance of heatmaps as a visual aid for identifying testing priorities, areas of risk, and resource allocation within SAP landscapes. Through this session, attendees can expect to enhance their understanding of test management principles while learning practical approaches to optimize testing processes in SAP environments using heatmap visualization techniques
What will you get from this session?
1. Insights into SAP testing best practices
2. Heatmap utilization for testing
3. Optimization of testing processes
4. Demo
Topics covered:
Execution from the test manager
Orchestrator execution result
Defect reporting
SAP heatmap example with demo
Speaker:
Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
Kubernetes & AI - Beauty and the Beast !?! @KCD Istanbul 2024Tobias Schneck
As AI technology is pushing into IT I was wondering myself, as an “infrastructure container kubernetes guy”, how get this fancy AI technology get managed from an infrastructure operational view? Is it possible to apply our lovely cloud native principals as well? What benefit’s both technologies could bring to each other?
Let me take this questions and provide you a short journey through existing deployment models and use cases for AI software. On practical examples, we discuss what cloud/on-premise strategy we may need for applying it to our own infrastructure to get it to work from an enterprise perspective. I want to give an overview about infrastructure requirements and technologies, what could be beneficial or limiting your AI use cases in an enterprise environment. An interactive Demo will give you some insides, what approaches I got already working for real.
DevOps and Testing slides at DASA ConnectKari Kakkonen
My and Rik Marselis slides at 30.5.2024 DASA Connect conference. We discuss about what is testing, then what is agile testing and finally what is Testing in DevOps. Finally we had lovely workshop with the participants trying to find out different ways to think about quality and testing in different parts of the DevOps infinity loop.
Seeds of actions on Climate Change, Is it now India’s moment?
1. Seeds of actions on Climate Change
Is it now India’s moment?
By
Rajendra Shende
Himalayan tragedy in the State of Uttarakhand and in neighboring area is
stark reminder of what Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has
been informing us about the frequency, intensity and uncertainty of its
timing of the extreme weather events. Though the tragedy in Uttarakhand
cannot be related directly and only to the climate change, it is wake up
call for India to take wide spectrum of actions to mitigate climate change.
Luckily these actions also have important side benefits and are not costly.
One of such ready opportunity that India has, is to charter its actions
towards climate-friendly and energy efficient air conditioning and
refrigeration that consumes nearly 40 % of India’s electricity. India’s
dependence on fossil fuel to produce and reach such electricity to the user
is causing serious blows to its energy planning, its trade balance and
emissions of Green House Gases. It is true that India cannot give up its
dependence of the fossil fuel in near future; however, there are win-win
strategies available. One of them is to mitigate the climate change by
reducing the use of refrigerant gases of high Global Warming Potential
(GWP), replace them with low or zero GWP refrigerant gases and at the
same time leverage the possible energy efficiency advantage of
appliances using alternatives. Indian industry is ready to respond to this
strategy and Indian government can seize the timing.
Two and half decade back, India seized similar opportunity under the
Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer. India’s
record of implementation of the Montreal Protocol, considered as the
most successful multilateral environmental agreement by any standard so
far, has been impeccable. It has phased out of the production and
consumption of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other Ozone Depleting
substances well in time and in some cases even before the time limits
stipulated under the Montreal Protocol.
India has also been global leader in giving strategic direction and shaping
the collaborative approaches for the success of the Montreal Protocol. Its
stewardship has played crucial role in formulation, establishment and
efficient operation of the Multilateral Fund for the developing countries
that is now operating for two decades without any financial crunch
whatsoever. But the real ‘win’ under the Montreal Protocol was not just
phase out of CFCs, but deriving societal benefits from use of alternative
refrigerant and upgraded technology that made appliances and equipment
2. more energy efficient. For example, the drive India started in 1990s for a
‘CFC-free energy efficient’ refrigerator has paid off. Today, all the
refrigerators in Indian market are CFC free and are at least 50% more
energy efficient. Climate benefit, though unintended, was another huge
‘win’ for the Montreal Protocol. As another global benefit that the
Montreal Protocol CFCs are also powerful GHGs, by phasing them out,
the world could eliminate more than 130 Gigatones of CO2-eq of GHGs
till 2010.
USA-China Presidential summit in California on June 8, 2013 included
an agreement that was rather non-political and technically complex for
the ‘popular’ press but it is critically important for India to reflect on it
seriously and on urgent basis. USA and China, two of the world’s largest
consumer and producers of Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)-the powerful
green house gases of very high global warming potential, agreed to work
together on their phase down. This indeed is a critically significant new
initiative by USA and China in response to continually daunting
challenge of global climate change.
Both countries, as per the statement released on 9th
June by the White
House, Washington DC, ‘ will work together and with other countries to
use the expertise and institutions of the Montreal Protocol to phase down
the consumption and production of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), among
other forms of multilateral cooperation’.
Significance of this agreement stems from the facts that a global phase
down of HFCs could potentially reduce about 100 gigatons (Gt) of CO2
equivalent by 2050, equal to roughly two years worth of current global
greenhouse gas emissions and more than the United States emits in an
entire decade. This will also avoid 0.5 degrees Celsius of warming by the
end of the century and make a major contribution to keeping temperature
increases to less than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-Industrial levels.
Phasing down HFCs will also catalyze energy efficiency improvement in
the air conditioners, refrigerators and other equipment that presently use
HFCs, as has been seen in other such technology transitions. Such energy
efficiency would provide additional indirect climate benefit by
significantly reducing CO2 emissions from electricity use.
Second, the agreement comes at the time when the scorching and
frustrating details of global warming updates are emerging as time passes
by. The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere reached a record peak of
400 parts per million on May 9, the highest level in the history for 2.5
million years as per National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
3. (NOAA), USA. On June 5, United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) presented in climate meeting in Bonn the widening emission gap
between what world is aiming for and where it is headed in 2020 in its
ambitious efforts to limit the global rise of temperature to 2 degree
centigrade. Such observations by UN body are making the climate-
scientists and policy-makers nervous. The gap, as concluded by 43
scientific groups from 22 countries, is whooping 8 Gt of CO2 equivalent
under the ‘most ambitious’ scenario and 14 Gt of CO2 equivalent under
business as usual. Further, as per report released on June 10 by
International Energy Agency (IEA), Redrawing Climate-Energy Map
gives stark warning that ‘The path we are currently on is more likely to
result in a temperature increase of between 3.6 °C and 5.3 °C.’ Such rise
in temperature directs towards disastrous consequence and even collapse
of human civilization. Though damaging floods in Uttarakhand cannot be
directly related to climate change impact, it is early warning of what is
expected in future in terms of the frequency and intensity of extreme
weather events, also highlighted in the special report of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
HFCs are powerful greenhouse gases used in refrigerators, air
conditioners, and industrial applications. Their emissions are controlled
under the Kyoto Protocol, which will come to an end in 2015. HFCs do
not deplete the ozone layer, and hence their use is growing rapidly as
replacements for ozone-depleting substances that are being successfully
phased out under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the
Ozone Layer. Left unabated, HFC emissions growth could grow to nearly
20 percent of carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, a serious climate
mitigation concern.
For the past four years, the United States, Canada, and Mexico as well as
the Federal States of Micronesia and Morocco have proposed separate
amendments to the Montreal Protocol to phase down the production and
consumption of HFCs. These efforts to phase down HFCs are now
supported by 112 of the 197 countries that are Parties to the Montreal
Protocol. The amendments also include financial assistance to cover the
incremental cost component for developing countries and leaves
unchanged the reporting and accounting provisions of the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change and Kyoto Protocol on HFC emissions.
Though majority of the Parties to the Protocol agreed to phase down of
HFCs, India and China have consistently opposed any phase down of
HFCs under the Montreal Protocol for several reasons, one being that the
industries in their countries have adopted to HFCs to eliminate CFCs and
will now be adopting to HFCs to eliminate HCFCs.
4. The HFC agreement between President Obama and President Xi opens
the door to a significant progress this year to phase down HFCs under the
Montreal Protocol. India must still agree, of course, but they have been
showing greater flexibility this year even before the Chine-US agreement,
which now makes the amendment all but inevitable. Reluctance from
India risks leaving India on the sidelines as China and the U.S. develop
their special relationship.
It is significant that the Obama-Xi agreement really builds on Secretary
of State John Kerry’s earlier efforts in China to form a climate task force.
Secretary Kerry also made the HFC phase-down under the Montreal
Protocol a priority of his participation in the Arctic Council summit last
month, bringing Russia into the growing consensus. This follows the
success of former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton who made
significant progress in putting the HFC issue on the climate-agenda
during Indo-US bilateral talks in. Ms. Clinton also made phasing down
HFCs a key part of the Rio+20 summit declaration, supported by more
than 100 heads of state. Ms. Clinton also made reductions of HFCs part
of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate
Pollutants, which she launched in February 2012.
Leadership from India to support the HFC agreement would signal that
the world has entered a new period where the largest emitters, both
developed and developing, are working side by side to address our most
critical climate issues. While efforts to cut CO2 and other climate
pollutants will continue to be a challenge, future generations will view an
HFC agreement as a turning point in climate protection, when the world
finally began to take effective action.
Secretary of State John Kerry will be in India this week and India should
lend its support on priority for HFC phase down under the Montreal
Protocol. It would also open the door for another round of discussion at
higher level when Indian Prime Minister visits Washington DC later this
year. Three largest economies of the world working shoulder to shoulder
to take action on climate change would be good omen and a strong signal.
END
Author: Rajendra Shende is Chairman TERRE Policy Centre, Indian think-tank and
former Director, UNEP. He was coordinating lead author of special report of IPCC
‘Safeguarding Ozone Layer and Global climate system’ and Steering Committee
Member of UNEP report on ‘HFCs: A Critical Link in Protecting Climate and the
Ozone Layer’