SJR 27: The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

This measure would urge the federal government to expeditiously ratify the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer to improve the certainty of the marketplace for our businesses and demonstrate support for this international effort to address climate change.

WHEREAS, Hydrofluorocarbons, known as HFCs, are greenhouse gas superpollutants that can be thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide in contributing to climate change; and

WHEREAS, HFCs are primarily used in air conditioning, refrigeration, aerosols, and foam insulation; and

WHEREAS, Businesses throughout the HFC supply chain have shown support for strong global action on these harmful substances; and

WHEREAS, The State of California has 2030 targets for HFC emissions reductions in state statute, as set out by Senate Bill 1383 (Chapter 395 of the Statutes of 2016), the Superpollutant Reduction Act of 2016; and

WHEREAS, Over 30 years ago, the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was agreed to by the contracting parties on September 16, 1987, and entered into force on January 1, 1989; and

WHEREAS, The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol was negotiated and agreed to by nearly 200 countries on October 15, 2016, and because it has been ratified by more than 20 signatory nations, will enter into force on January 1, 2019; and

WHEREAS, The Kigali Amendment provides international timelines for the phasedown of HFC production and consumption; and

WHEREAS, The HFC phasedown under the Kigali Amendment is expected to avoid up to 0.5C warming by the end of the century; and

WHEREAS, The Kigali Amendment international phasedown is a critical element needed for California to reach its 2030 HFC reduction targets; and

WHEREAS, The United States of America played an important role in the Kigali Amendment negotiations, but has yet to ratify the Kigali Amendment; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of California, jointly, That the Legislature urges the federal government to expeditiously ratify the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer to improve the certainty of the marketplace for our businesses and demonstrate support for this international effort to address climate change; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the President and the Vice President of the United States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the Majority Leader of the Senate, and to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States.