While recognizing that the Parties to the Montreal Protocol are not mandated to legally regulate the production and consumption of potent global warming substances such as HFC HFC-134a, Greenpeace maintains that the Parties do have the responsibility and the means to encourage industries in Article 5 countries to convert to available alternative technologies which are environmentally safer and more sustainable.

We must not attempt to solve the ozone crisis by contributing to another environmental disaster, such as global warming leading to climate change. Recent estimates of the potential impact of HFCs upon the atmosphere indicate that by the year 2040, the total global HFC market could be around 1.35 million tonnes a year, which would be the equivalent to 15% of current fossil fuel emissions.

It is apparent that HFC-134a technology is being foisted upon domestic refrigeration industries in Article 5 countries without adequate information. Recent information from developing countries point to severe technological problems associated with HFC-134a in the area of servicing. These problems are associated with the synthetic ester oil lubricant that HFC-134a requires. Ester oil is extremely sensitive to contamination from water vapour and other impurities. It makes home servicing very difficult at best circumstances, and even more so under most conditions prevalent in developing countries.

In fact, HFC-134a may well prove to be a technological nightmare for the service sector of Article 5 countries. This may compel refrigerator manufacturers that have not yet converted to remain with CFCs, and convincing those that have converted to switch back to CFCs.

Recognizing the urgency of the ozone crisis, coupled with the escalating impacts of human induced global warming leading to climate change, we call upon the Parties to the Montreal Protocol to instruct the Executive Committee of the Multilateral Fund to:

(1) Give preferential treatment for funding to ODS replacement technologies which neither contribute to further ozone depletion nor contribute significantly to global warming;

(2) Initiate an independent in-depth investigation of HFC-134a technology, which would examine the suitability of this technology for Article-5-countries, and include an evaluation of representative cases of HFC-134a projects executed so far by the Multilateral Fund and its Implementing Agencies. Such investigation should also focus on the needs and realities of the formal and informal service sectors in developing countries.