(Washington) The US Congress on Wednesday ratified the Kigali agreement, aimed at significantly reducing emissions of a greenhouse gas that is extremely harmful to the climate, used among other things in refrigeration or air conditioning.
Posted at 4:51 p.m.
US President Joe Biden applauded this vote, supported by elected officials from both parties, assuring that the United States was “back at the negotiating table to lead the fight against climate change”.
In 2016, the international community adopted the Kigali agreement, a legally binding text providing for the gradual elimination of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), these dreaded greenhouse gases, also present in certain aerosols and the manufacture of insulating foams.
The United States had played a central role in drafting this text, which calls on states to reduce HFCs by 85% by 2036 – a goal postponed by a few years for emerging economies.
Wednesday’s vote “symbolizes the United States’ commitment to reducing the use of these very dangerous industrial chemicals,” applauded Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer.
“Our country, our businesses and our planet will benefit,” he said.
If the deal is adhered to, it could reduce global warming by 0.5°C by 2100, experts say.
This vote will “encourage other countries to join the agreement and send a strong signal to the rest of the world about the will of the United States to tackle the climate crisis”, welcomed Dan Lashof, director of the World Resources Institute organization in the United States.
This American measure must also contribute to the fulfillment of Washington’s commitments under the Paris Agreement. The United States has pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 50-52% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels.