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Countries agree to limit use of greenhouse gases

Reporter: Leslie Mirungu 丨 CCTV.com

10-16-2016 15:23 BJT

Almost 200 countries have reached a deal to limit the use of greenhouse gases, in a meeting in Rwanda. The legally binding deal is anticipated to give more momentum to the Paris agreement reached last December and coming into effect in early November.

The move to limit the use of greenhouse gases believed to have more impact on the environment than Carbon dioxide has been well received by delegates in Kigali.

"We did it, we got what we came for. So, this is a historic agreement and it's going to bring more momentum after Paris and into Marrakesh next month. So we'll actually have a chance of solving climate change," said Durwood Zaelke, President, Institute of Governance & Sustainable Development.

"It's a very historic moment and we are all very delighted that we have come to this point where we can reach a consensus and agree to most of the issues that were on the table," said Ajay Narayan Jha, chief Indian delegate.

"And it was an atmosphere of give-and-take and a lot of flexibility was shown by the parties concerned and that's what has been the spirit of the Montreal protocol."

The deal focuses on hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, which are used in air conditioners and refrigerators. They have been described as the world's fastest-growing climate pollutants and scientists and are believed to be 10,000 times worse that Carbon dioxide. This agreement will cap the use of HFCs beginning 2019, led by developed countries including the United States.

"No country has a right to turn its back on this effort and to forget about the meaning of a multilateral effort where the world is looking to us to try to literary save this planet from what we ourselves have chosen in respect to how we power our energy and what we have done for more than 150 years or more," US Secretary of State John Kerry said.

Most developing countries were however concerned over apparent technology gaps that would make it not only expensive but also practically difficult to implement the deal immediately.

The summit agreed to allow them more time... developing countries like China, nations in Latin America and island states will freeze their use of HFCs from 2024. Others including India, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq and the Gulf states will not freeze their use until 2028.



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