Fate of International Agreement on HFCs Uncertain

As reported in the last HARDI Legislative Alert, the U.S., Canada, and Mexico jointly submitted a proposed amendment to the Montreal Protocol to extend the agreement to cover hydrofluorcarbons (HFCs) and initiate their global phasedown. This amendment is intended to be debated at the Protocol's next meetings in Egypt next month, but the fate of the amendment is unclear. The upcoming United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen appear to be the biggest obstacle as many interests would prefer to wait until after these negotiations in December before discussing HFCs in any other context; and it is equally uncertain what kinds, if any, of substantive agreements will come out of that meeting.