Brussels, 29 July -- Media Briefing: Joint Initiative of UNEP and EC: Tool Box to Benefit Climate while Eliminating Ozone Depleting Chemicals

What?    Ozone Tool-Kit Launch: Guidance material for ozone- and climate-friendly HCFC phase-out
When?   Thursday 29 July 2010 – 10.30
Where?  Ground floor conference room, United Nations House, 14, Rue Montoyer, 1000 Brussels, + 32 2 213 30 50

On 29 July, the UN Environment Programme is launching a new practical tool created to assist developing countries to attain ozone layer recovery and climate protection. These dual benefits will be achieved through the phase-out of a group of chemicals which are commonly used as replacements for CFCs used in refrigeration, air-conditioning and in the creation of insulation foam. These chemicals, hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) can have global warming potentials up to 2000 times that of carbon dioxide.

This tool, which will be launched from Brussels, entitled ‘HCFC Policy and Legislative Options: A Guide for Developing Countries’, was developed to provide policy makers in developing countries with guidance on the different policy options needed to replace or avoid the use of HCFCs.

147 developing countries are currently preparing national plans to phase-out these chemicals in order to comply with their obligations under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. The Maldives, the first country to have its plan formally approved, has committed to phase out HCFCs ten years ahead of schedule, in line with its goal of becoming climate neutral by 2020. This tool was specifically created to provide assistance in this process to ensure the dual benefits of ozone and climate protection are achieved by developing countries.

The Policy and Legislative Options guide is complemented by two additional new tools: ‘Alternatives to HCFCs in the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Sector’ – which sets out practical guidelines and case studies for developing country stakeholders upgrading or replacing equipment and ‘Phase-out of HCFCs in the Flexible and Rigid Foam Sector’ – which provides guidance on choosing technology options in the manufacture of insulation foams that protect both the ozone layer and the climate system.

These products have been created by the OzonAction Branch of the UN Environment Programme, with the support of the European Commission (under the thematic programme for Environment and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources including Energy), the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol, as innovative support to developing countries. The materials will be available from 29 July 2010 from the HCFC Help Centre on UNEP’s web site: http://www.unep.fr/ozonaction/topics/hcfc.asp.



For more information, please contact:
UNEP DTIE OzonAction : Ms Anne Fenner, Information Manager, +33 1 44 37 14 54
UNEP Regional Office for Europe : Ms Isabelle Valentiny, Information Officer, + 41 22 917 84 04