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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

197 nations including the United States, India, and China have signed an agreement [reuters.com] to reduce and eliminate the use of HFCs in the coming decades. The deal includes three tiers with a freeze in production and use beginning in 2019 (developed countries), 2024 (China, Brazil, and others), or 2028 (India, Pakistan, and others):

Nearly 200 nations hammered out a legally binding deal to cut back on greenhouse gases used in refrigerators and air conditioners, a Rwandan minister announced to loud cheers on Saturday, in a major step against climate change.

The deal, which includes the world's two biggest economies, the United States and China, divides countries into three groups with different deadlines to reduce the use of factory-made hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) gases, which can be 10,000 times more powerful than carbon dioxide as greenhouse gases. [...] Under the pact, developed nations, including much of Europe and the United States, commit to reducing their use of the gases incrementally, starting with a 10 percent cut by 2019 and reaching 85 percent by 2036.

[...] The HFC talks build on the 1987 Montreal Protocol, which succeeded in phasing out the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), widely used at that time in refrigeration and aerosols. The aim was to stop the depletion of the ozone layer, which shields the planet from ultraviolet rays linked to skin cancer and other conditions.

Also at BBC [bbc.com] and Time [time.com].

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