Tonga took a major step to advance its commitment to the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit global surface temperature rise to “well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels” when the Privy Council endorsed the 2016 Kigali Amendment to the 1987 Montreal Protocol on 21 June this year.

Paula Ma’u, Chief Executive Officer of MEIDECC* said that the Montreal Protocol addressed concerns over gases that damage the Ozone Layer, “allowing the ultraviolet of the sun to reach the earth.” An excessive exposure of humans to the ultraviolet light of the sun causes skin cancer and genetic mutation.

Under the Paris Agreement the Pre-industrial period was not clearly specified but it is generally accepted that it was between 1850-1900, before machines and tools caused problems with gases that damage the environment and deplete the Ozone Layer.

It was recorded that during the 1920s coolants and fridges were discovered to be very toxic, causing severe health complications to humans. The Chlorofluorocarbons CFCs gas were discovered to be the solution to address these problems, but unfortunately decades later, CFCs were found to be the root cause of a hole in the stratosphere – commonly referred to as the Ozone hole. The Ozone Layer is the natural shield against the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays, which can cause severe health risks such as skin cancer.

The Montreal Protocol of January 1 1989 was designed to reduce the production and consumption of Ozone depleting substances and thereby protect the earth’s fragile Ozone Layer.

Uikelotu Vunga, the head of Tonga’s Ozone Depleting Substances Division, pointed out that the CFCs gas was replaced with Hydroflourocarbons HFCs, that “are powerful greenhouse gases and said to be thousands times more potent than carbon dioxide in contributing to climate change.”

Paula said that the Privy Council on 21 June endorsed Tonga's ratification of the Kigali Amendment, and the King authorised Hon. Poasi Tei, the Minister for MEIDECC to sign and ratify the amendment and it was passed on to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs to table with the UN in New York.

The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol according to Paula Ma’u will come into effect on 1 January 2019. He said that initially the amendment can be implemented once it is endorsed by 20 countries, but Tonga was the 44th signatory.

To eliminate the HFCs, the world economies are divided into three groups, each with a target phase down date.

“The plan is that by 2050 these gases will no longer be in existence.”

Paula said that they have held workshops in Neiafu, Vava’u and this week here in Nuku’alofa, (Tonga’s two ports of entries on the Kigali Amendment) with representatives from the Ministries of Customs and Revenues, Infrastructure, Education, Health, Fishereis and Tonga Fire Services.

The richest countries, including the USA and countries in the European Union  will reduce the production and the consumption of HFCs from 2019. Countries, including China, Brazil, all of Africa and Tonga will freeze the use of HFCs by 2024.  

A group of the world’s hottest countries such as Bahrain, India, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will phased down the use of HFCs by 2028.

Uikelotu said that an alternative to HFcs was already in circulation, but if not used carefully was quite flamable.

* MEIDECC, Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communications