Sept. 21 (UPI) — The Senate passed a bill Wednesday aimed at phasing out so-called super-polluting chemicals while promoting the use of cleaner technologies.
The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol aims to phase down hydrofluorocarbons by cutting the production and consumption of the chemicals, which are hundreds to thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide.
More than 167 other countries have already signed the pledge to eliminate hydrofluorocarbons.
The treaty requires countries to reduce the use of hydrofluorocarbons by 85% over the next 15 years.
Hydrofluorocarbons are a group of industrial chemicals primarily used for cooling and refrigeration that deplete the ozone layer.
“Today, the Senate delivered a historic, bipartisan win for American workers and industry,” President Joe Biden said in a statement Wednesday.
“Ratifying the Kigali Amendment will allow us to lead the clean technology markets of the future, by innovating and manufacturing those technologies here in America.
“The United States is back at the table leading the fight against climate change. As more countries join the United States in ratifying this amendment, we can prevent up to half a degree Celsius of warming this century, a significant contribution to fighting climate change.”
The Kigali Amendment, which curbs polluting hydrofluorocarbons, is a historic step to combatting global warming in a huge way.
It will reduce global temperatures by about half a degree Celsius by the end of this century, a fact with significant impact.— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) September 21, 2022
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called it a “historic” day.
“The Kigali Amendment, which curbs polluting hydrofluorocarbons, is a historic step to combatting global warming in a huge way,” Schumer wrote on Twitter.
“It will reduce global temperatures by about half a degree Celsius by the end of this century, a fact with significant impact.”
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