The European Union (EU) Parliament has adopted an agreement struck in December to phase-down the use of F-gases, according to ACR News.

The new F-Gas regulations was passed with an overwhelming majority. Members of the EU Parliament voted 644 in favour, with 19 opposing and 16 abstentions.

The move has been welcomed by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) as a significant step forward for the climate.

European Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard tweeted: “I welcome the ‘beginning of the end’ for super-warming greenhouse gases.”

Clare Perry, head of EIA’s Global Environment Campaign, said: “This is a hugely encouraging lead from Europe in the fight against climate change. With the EU showing a progressive lead in this field, this decision should act as a catalyst for future international negotiations in pursuit of a global deal to address HFCs which, if achieved, could avoid emissions of up to 100 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent by 2050.”

Alongside the cap and phase-down, the EU has now agreed to ban the use of HFCs in new equipment in a number of sectors, most notably in commercial refrigeration by 2022, CCN reported.

Resources:

http://www.acr-news.com/european-parliament-ratifies-partial-ban-on-f-gases

http://www.climatecontrolnews.com.au/news/eu-parliament-votes-in-favour-of-f-gas-laws

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