It is highly likely that 2017 will be one of the three hottest years on record. It comes as no surprise that this rise in average global temperatures is a consequence of the release of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. What is not widely known is that extremely large amounts of these gases remain improperly stored in several countries which lack the infrastructure to destroy them.

The stockpiling of a significant part of those chemicals is a consequence of one of the world’s most celebrated environmental treaties: The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Established in 1987, it has been remarkably successful in reducing the consumption and production of ozone-depleting substances (ODS), putting the ozone layer on the road to recovery. Because these substances have a high global warming potential, the implementation of the Montreal Protocol has also helped slow down climate change.

The treaty initially focused on phasing out chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), chemicals that were widely used as refrigerants, solvents and blowing agents and in aerosols. However, because CFCs were so important to several industries, they could not be simply eliminated. Replacement gases had to be used. Their main substitutes for CFCs are hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which unfortunately also have enormous global warming potential.

The process of phasing out these harmful chemicals can represent a challenge for many developing countries which may not have the technical capacities necessary to safely collect, transport and destroy these substances. As a consequence, countries holding large amounts of ODS banks have to send these gases to developed countries where they can be destroyed. 

The situation was no different in Mexico where ODS have been phased out through different programmes and, as a result, unwanted ODS banks have been stockpiled for a long time.

“After months of legal, logistic and economic arrangements, some owners of contaminated ODS shipped them to the United States for destruction under a voluntary carbon market scheme,” explains Agustín Sánchez Guevara, Coordinator of Mexico’s Ozone Unit.

The solution of exporting the ODS to the US was complicated by the fact that, in Mexico, unwanted ODS are classified as hazardous wastes. They have to be consolidated, transported and handled by fully certified companies in possession of all the required permits.

“The process to handle and transport these substances to another country is very complex and expensive. As well as having to comply with Montreal Protocol regulations, there also has to be compliance with the requirements of Basel Convention and other environmental agreements between USA and Mexico,” says Sánchez.

Collecting, transporting and destroying ODS is a difficult and dangerous process. Gases can leak from storage containers and equipment during transport or destruction.

In order to assist Mexico in developing the necessary infrastructure to store and transport the ODS gases and dispose of them in an environmentally-friendly manner, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) collaborated with the Governments of Mexico and France to implement a demonstration project for ODS destruction. The project had financial support of $1.4m from the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol.

UNIDO identified a list of requirements for transportation that were in compliance with national and international standards and trained technicians involved in the ODS collection and transportation process. The organization also conducted workshops to train customs and other officials to deal with the illegal trade of ODS.

Most importantly, the project also encouraged the first Mexican facilities to obtain the necessary authorizations to destroy ODS, allowing the substances to be destroyed in the country for the first time. The combined actions led to the destruction of 113 tonness of ODS and, consequently, avoided potential GHG emissions equivalent to the CO2 emissions produced by 140,000 fossil-fuel powered vehicles during one year.

 “The project proved that with solid technical assistance and access to the necessary funding, developing countries can develop the technology to destroy ODS,” said Riccardo Savigliano, Industrial Development Officer at UNIDO.

Following the project’s success, UNIDO also organized a series of events in order to share project outcomes and lessons learned, and to transfer results, including a study tour with representatives from several Latin American countries.

“The whole region stands to benefit from the project, since now neighbouring countries have the opportunity not only to export ODS to Mexico and reduce their costs in dealing with the substances, but also to attempt to reproduce the efforts made in Mexico and start destroying ODS,” he added.

Properly managing existing and future ODS banks will be essential to avoid the release of greenhouse gases into the environment and keep global warming under the threshold of two degrees Celsius set by the Paris Climate Agreement.

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One Planet Summit

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are harmful chemicals which travel rapidly, degrade slowly and are toxic to humans and wildlife. Some even refer to them as “silent killers”.

They are commonly found in pesticides, such as DDT, and industrial chemicals like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), as well as in unintentional by-products of industrial processes such as dioxins. These chemicals have been proven to cause a series of health problems from allergies to cancer, reproductive disorders and damage to the immune and nervous systems.

In China, as in many countries, a lack of knowledge among plant owners and limited national infrastructure or regulations to deal with the issue led to the unsafe storage of POPs pesticides, with waste often left in open containers in vacant buildings or other empty spaces located in built-up areas. As a result, toxic chemicals seeped into the soil and groundwater, while powdered chemicals also escaped over time into the air, posing a health risk. Solutions such as burning the pesticides created more pollution in the form of fly ash.

To reduce the global threat and eliminate the scourge of POPs, the international community created the Stockholm Convention which entered into force in May 2004. The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) supports countries to comply with their obligations under the Convention.

Since becoming an implementing agency of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol in 1992, UNIDO has completed around 1,400 projects to phase-out ozone-depleting substances in developing countries and economies in transition.

As a recipient of 20% of the budget of the Multilateral Fund, UNIDO has received US$849m to prepare and appraise investment project proposals and implement phase-out schedules at plant level.

UNIDO’s Montreal Protocol projects have helped phase out the use of more than a third of the consumption of ozone-depleting substances in the developing world. As a result, ozone levels began to recover in the 2000s. Now, the ozone hole is expected to reach pre-1980 levels by around 2075. The Montreal Protocol is considered the most successful international environmental agreement ever.

Fighting global warming

But the Montreal Protocol is not just saving the ozone layer. It is also a significant force against climate change, because many ozone-depleting substances also contribute to global warming.

By eliminating these substances, UNIDO has helped avoid the use and potential emission of 338 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent per year as of 2015. This is equivalent to the CO₂ emissions of 99 coal-fired power plants or the CO₂ emissions of 71 million passenger cars driven in one year. To get an idea of the significance of this, think of Brazil where there are around 71 million cars on the road.

A particularly significant intervention is taking place in China where UNIDO is responsible for converting the entire eligible production of small air conditioners, so that alternative climate-friendly refrigerants are used. Such mono-split air conditioners enjoy annual global sales of more than 100 million units, about 70 per cent of which are made in China. (see also: Propane persuasion: air conditioning in China)

Potent greenhouse gases

An important amendment to the Montreal Protocol was agreed in October 2016 in Kigali, Rwanda, when the world decided to include hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in the list of controlled substances.

In the past, as chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons have been phased out under the Montreal Protocol, the use of HFCs has greatly increased, particularly in the refrigeration and air conditioning sectors.

HFCs do not impact the ozone, but have high global warming potential. They are extremely potent greenhouse gases when they seep into the atmosphere - they can be more than 10,000 times more effective at trapping heat than carbon dioxide.

The extension of the treaty’s scope opens a new era for the Montreal Protocol to phase down substances with high global-warming potential.

Avoiding a 0.5°C increase

The Kigali Amendment will enter into force on 1 January 2019. The goal is to achieve over an 80% reduction in HFC consumption by 2047. The impact of the amendment will avoid up to 0.5 °C increase in global temperature by the end of the century, representing a real contribution to reaching longer-term temperature goals.

With decades of experience undertaking conversions in the industrial sector, training technicians and raising awareness, UNIDO is perfectly positioned to assist developing countries and economies in transition to shift from HFCs to climate-friendly alternatives and to improve energy efficiency.

Find out more:

One Planet Summit

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Some like it cool: UNIDO and the Montreal Protocol

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are harmful chemicals which travel rapidly, degrade slowly and are toxic to humans and wildlife. Some even refer to them as “silent killers”.

They are commonly found in pesticides, such as DDT, and industrial chemicals like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), as well as in unintentional by-products of industrial processes such as dioxins. These chemicals have been proven to cause a series of health problems from allergies to cancer, reproductive disorders and damage to the immune and nervous systems.

In China, as in many countries, a lack of knowledge among plant owners and limited national infrastructure or regulations to deal with the issue led to the unsafe storage of POPs pesticides, with waste often left in open containers in vacant buildings or other empty spaces located in built-up areas. As a result, toxic chemicals seeped into the soil and groundwater, while powdered chemicals also escaped over time into the air, posing a health risk. Solutions such as burning the pesticides created more pollution in the form of fly ash.

To reduce the global threat and eliminate the scourge of POPs, the international community created the Stockholm Convention which entered into force in May 2004. The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) supports countries to comply with their obligations under the Convention.