Japan ratifies Kigali

On 18 December, Japan ratified the global phasedown of HFCs known as the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, according to the Amendment's Open Climate Data website.

As 2018 comes to a close, a total of sixty-five signatories have now ratified Kigali and committed to phasing down HFCs. The Kigali Amendment will enter into force on 1 January 2019, having been ratified by the required 20 parties at the end of 2017.

The Amendment sees developed countries take the lead on phasing down HFCs, starting with a 10% reduction in 2019 and delivering an 85% cut in 2036 (compared to a 2011-2013 baseline).

The ratification by Japan (a developed country) coincides with the announcement by the Japanese government that it had renewed its subsidy program for natural refrigerant installations in FY2019.

On 21 December, the Japanese Ministry of the Environment confirmed the budget for natural refrigerant subsidies at ¥7.4 billion (€58 million) for the 2019 financial year (FY2019).

The sum exceeds the ¥6.4 billion (€47 million) budgeted for FY2018.

Following in Japan's footsteps, Nigeria also ratified Kigali on 20 December.

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of the Environment are scheduled to speak on phasing down HFCs at the upcoming ATMOsphere Japan 2019 conference, which will be held in Tokyo on 12 February 2019. See the latest programme here.