46th Meeting of the Open-ended Working Group (OEWG 46) of the Montreal Protocol

 The Montreal Protocol has made significant impacts on the fight against climate change. From 1990 to 2010, the Treaty’s control measures were estimated to have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of 135 gigatons of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of 11 gigatons a year. The decline in ODS emissions due to the Protocol is set to avoid global warming by about 0.5 – 1°C by 2050. Another 0.3 – 0.5°C of avoided warming by 2100 is estimated due to the phase down of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under the Kigali Amendment to the Protocol. These successes are due, in large part, to the central role of the Protocol’s scientific and technical bodies. These bodies alert parties to the latest developments, and challenges that could affect the health of the ozone layer and the planet. The Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) serves as an effective interface between scientists and policymakers and lays the groundwork for parties to address the key issues necessary for the Protocol to stay ahead of any emerging issues.

At the 46th meeting of the Open-ended Working Group (OEWG 46), the work of the Protocol’s Scientific Assessment Panel, Environmental Effects Assessment Panel, and Technology and Economic Assessment Panel was presented to the Parties. The reports informed discussions on the items on the agenda for this meeting, with parties relying on the Panels’ experts to make progress on the draft decisions that will be further discussed at the 36th Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol (MOP 36) in late October 2024. These draft decisions relate to;

• further strengthening Montreal Protocol institutions by addressing illegal trade;
• avoiding unwanted imports of energy inefficient products and equipment;
• the need for additional information on very short-lived substances;
• feedstock uses of controlled substances;
• measures to support the sustainable management of recovered, recycled, or reclaimed halons;
• measures to facilitate the transition to metered-dose inhalers with low-global-warming-potential propellants or other alternative products;
• enhancing regional atmospheric monitoring of controlled substances;
• a possible compliance deferral for Article 5, group 2 parties, related to access to climate-friendly cooling and refrigeration equipment; and
• strengthening the enabling environment to enhance energy efficiency in the cooling sector while implementing the Kigali Amendment.

During the OEWG meeting, several key issues were addressed in response to decisions made at the Thirty-Fifth Meeting of the Parties. These included life-cycle refrigerant management and a related report prepared by the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel. A workshop on fluorocarbon bank inventories, organized by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition the previous day, was highlighted as particularly important due to the integral role of bank management in life-cycle refrigerant management. There was a strong desire to build on the outcomes of this inventory workshop at an upcoming workshop on life-cycle refrigerant management, to be convened by the Secretariat in October 2024.

The Parties also considered a report on the costs and sustainable funding options for establishing atmospheric monitoring stations for controlled substances. Additional issues on the agenda, arising from the Thirty-Fifth Meeting of the Parties, included discussions on very short-lived substances, feedstock uses of controlled substances, carbon tetrachloride emissions, energy efficiency, funding support for countries impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and options to enhance reporting on HFC-23.

Trinidad and Tobago was represented at this Meeting by Mr. Jothan Bolai Ozone Specialist, Ministry of Planning and Development.