U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday signed an international agreement that compels the United States and other countries to limit use of hydrofluorocarbons.
U.S. President Joe Biden waves as he walks to board Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022. U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday signed an international agreement that compels the United States and other countries to limit use of hydrofluorocarbons, highly potent greenhouse gases commonly used in refrigeration and air conditioning that are far more powerful than carbon dioxide.
HFCs are considered a major driver of global warming. Nearly 200 nations reached a deal in 2016 in Kigali, Rwanda, to limit HFCs and find substitutes more friendly to the atmosphere. More than 130 nations, including China, India and Russia, have formally ratified the agreement, which scientists say could help the world avoid a half-degree Celsius of global warming.Biden pledged to embrace the Kigali deal during the 2020 presidential campaign and submitted the agreement to the Senate last year.
The agreement should lead to tens of thousands of new jobs and billions of dollars in exports as clean technologies are developed to replace HFCs around the world, Zaidi said. Ratification of the amendment was supported by an unusual coalition that included major environmental and business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.