China phases out 504,000 tons of ODS over past 30 years
After 30 years of unremitting efforts, China has phased out a total of 504,000 tons of ozone-depleting substances (ODS) since its accession to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, contributing significantly to climate change mitigation and ozone layer protection, the country’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment said on Monday.
China signed the protocol in 1991. By now, it has fully eliminated the use of five major ODS, namely, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halon, carbon tetrachloride, methyl chloroform, and bromomethane. Currently, it is phasing out Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), the last type.
Over the past 30 years, China has avoided greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to about 23 billion tons of carbon dioxide, more than twice the total carbon emissions of 2021, and a remarkable achievement according to the ministry.
China has explored a path to implement a protocol that conforms to its national conditions, contributing Chinese wisdom, planning and experience to international environmental cooperation, said the Ministry.