Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia is gradually scaling down the consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a type of greenhouse gas, Director General of Climate Change Control at the Environment and Forestry Ministry Laksmi Dhewanthi informed here on Friday.

The effort to slowly reduce HFC consumption is aimed at contributing to the fulfillment of the Montreal Protocol, and thereby, protecting the ozone layer and tackling climate change.

"To implement the Montreal Protocol, we are preparing an additional new agreement called the Kigali Amendment; the process is ongoing," Dhewanthi informed after an event held to commemorate the 2022 World Ozone Day in Jakarta.

She said that Indonesia is preparing the Kigali Amendment for reducing the consumption of HFCs, which are often used in air conditioners and refrigerants.

According to her, Indonesia ratified the Montreal Protocol in 1992; the protocol requires countries ratifying the treaty to phase out HFCs by 80 percent by 2040.

In 1998, Indonesia succeeded in eliminating the consumption of halon, carbon tetrachloride (CTC), and methyl chloroform, and in 2008, it successfully phased out chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), Dhewanthi pointed out.

At the opening of Friday’s event, Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar said that the theme of the 2022 World Ozone Day was “35 Years of Global Cooperation to Maintain Life on Earth.”

The implementation of World Ozone Day has extended to climate change mitigation, she added.

The Montreal Protocol aims to reduce the consumption of HFCs, which are greenhouse gases with a high global warming potential (GWP) value, she noted.

Improving energy efficiency through the Kigali Amendment can slow down atmospheric and climate disturbances, she said.

"The global warming potential value of hydrofluorocarbons types ranges from 53 to 14,800—much greater when compared to the potential value of CO2, which is 1," Bakar explained.

The Montreal Protocol is an international agreement signed in 1987, which is seeking to protect the ozone layer by phasing out materials that can deplete its layers.

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Translator: Prisca V, Kenzu T
Editor: Sri Haryati
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