China overfulfills ozone-depleting substance cut targets as climate efforts intensify

BEIJING, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- China has overfulfilled its targets to cut ozone-depleting substances under the Kigali Amendment, with its total phase-out amount accounting for more than half of that achieved by developing nations, an ecology and environment official said on Wednesday.

China has phased out about 720,000 tonnes of ozone-depleting substances since joining the Montreal Protocol, which is over half of the total that has been phased out by developing countries worldwide, said Xu Bijiu, vice minister of ecology and environment.

Xu made the remarks at a meeting in Beijing commemorating the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, and the 2026 International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.

The international community adopted the Kigali Amendment under the Montreal Protocol 10 years ago, bringing hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gas, under the treaty's control. Full implementation of the amendment is expected to avoid 0.5 degrees Celsius of global warming by the end of this century.

China joined the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 1991, and accepted the Kigali Amendment in 2021, committing to freezing HFCs production and consumption at baseline levels starting in 2024, followed by gradual reductions as outlined in the amendment.

Since accepting the Kigali Amendment, China has strictly controlled the production and use of HFCs, reducing production by more than 1.185 billion tonnes and cutting use by 759 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent compared with its baseline levels, Xu said.

Over the past year, China's ecology and environment authority has actively advanced compliance actions, improved the whole-chain management system, strictly enforced import and export approval, and promoted green and low-carbon alternatives, he added.

Going forward, China will continue to improve licensing management, enhance regulatory efficiency, accelerate the promotion of alternative technologies, and advance its compliance efforts during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), Xu said.