Senate formally aligns U.S. with international effort to phase out potent greenhouse gas

With bipartisan vote to ratify Kigali Amendment, the U.S. takes big step toward stopping climate change.

U.S. Capitol building in D.C.
Public Domain | Pixabay.com

To truly tackle the massive threat that climate change poses, we need to work together with the global community. The United States Senate took a major step this week to signal to the rest of the world that the U.S. is on-board for climate action, joining a commitment to phase-out a dangerous greenhouse gas that could keep the world’s temperature from rising an additional 0.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.  

Formally aligning the United States with more than 170 other countries to phase out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), highly potent greenhouse gases, the Senate ratified the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocols with a bipartisan vote on Wednesday. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was already authorized to begin a 15-year phase down of HFCs — used in refrigeration, air-conditioning, insulating foams and aerosols — as part of the legislation that funded the federal government and provided COVID-19 relief in late 2020. 

Phasing out HFCs is an important and impactful climate solution, and it’s heartening to see members of the Senate cross the aisle to get this done.

Matt Casale

Former Director, Environment Campaigns, PIRG

Topics
Updates

Show More