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Background Briefing: Previewing Secretary Kerry's Travel to Kigali, Rwanda for Negotiations on an Amendment to the Montreal Protocol

Special Briefing
Senior State Department Officials
Via Teleconference
October 12, 2016

MODERATOR: Great. Thank you, and thank you all for joining us today to preview Secretary Kerry's upcoming travel to Kigali, Rwanda to attend the Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol. As a reminder, this call is on background. This call will not be embargoed. However, the transcript will only be posted once we're wheels down in Kigali.

For your information, not for reporting purposes, we have two senior State Department officials on the call. First we have joining us [name and title withheld] and then we have [name and title withheld]. For the purposes of this call and for reporting purposes, they will be known as Senior State Department One and Senior State Department Official Two.

So first, we turn it over to our Senior State Department Official Number One. Go ahead, [Senior State Department Official One].

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL ONE: Great. Thanks very much and thanks, everyone, for calling in. October's really been a momentous month in our ongoing efforts to address the environmental issue of climate change and other environmental questions in our global community. Let me start off by noting that last week, we officially crossed the threshold for the Paris Agreement to enter into force. Enough countries representing enough of the world's emissions have now formally joined the agreement so it'll actually enter into force November 4th, less than a year after it was gaveled in.

The achievement really underscores the widespread recognition of the urgency of the problem and is a testament to the continued determination of nations – all nations, large, small, rich, poor – all nations to tackle climate change. Indeed, governments around the world have signaled a huge and growing resolve to act. I am struck clearly by heads of states remaining closely engaged in the process. Many of them were personally presenting their UN – to the UN their countries' paperwork to join the agreement and are leading their own efforts to drive climate action domestically. The actions send a very powerful signal to world markets. We're moving toward a low-emissions economy, both in the United States and around the world.

The Paris Agreement entering into force is critically important. Now, equally important is making progress in achieving ambitious mitigation targets reflected in the commitments made under that agreement. The next step in the formal process will be the meeting of the 22nd Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention and now the first Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement that'll be held in Morocco.

In addition to moving quickly to implement the commitments at home, there are two other major international agreements this year that provide opportunities to boost our implementation effort. One was a successful conclusion last week when the International Civil Aviation Organization Assembly adopted the first-ever industrywide market-based measure to set international aviation on a path towards sustainable, carbon-neutral growth.

The second, and the focus of the call, is the Montreal Protocol meeting this week, this huge wind at our back. But this week's negotiation has the potential to round out what really has been an extraordinary month of global action. Adopting an ambitious amendment in Kigali has the potential to avoid up to a half a degree of warming by the end of the century. The Paris Agreement calls for limiting global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees and making efforts to limit it to 1.5. So in that context, a half a degree is an enormously significant amount.

As I said, world leaders really have risen to the challenge of combating climate change in the last year – extraordinary leadership and ability to work together tackling global problems. This week's another test. The stakes are really extraordinarily high. With the climate changing as rapidly as it is, there is no opportunity to miss any chance for progress.

So let me now turn it over to [Senior State Department Official Two], who has been leading our negotiation all year, and [Senior State Department Official Two] can speak more specifically about the meeting in Kigali. Thanks.

MODERATOR: Now we'll turn it over to our Senior State Department Official Number Two, please.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL TWO: Thank you very much for joining this call. The United States is participating in these talks in Kigali on the Montreal Protocol in order to work toward agreement and adoption of an ambitious hydrofluorocarbon phasedown amendment this week. As [Senior State Department Official One] noted, the HFC amendment would build upon our success last year in Paris and is one of the most consequential and cost-effective actions the global community can take this year to combat climate change.

Hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, which are used mostly in refrigeration and air conditioning, are also potent greenhouse gases. A phasedown amendment could avoid up to half a degree Celsius of warming by the end of this century. The Montreal Protocol, fully known as the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, is widely recognized as the most successful global environmental agreement. It was designed to protect the stratospheric ozone layer by phasing out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances, and research shows that it is succeeding in that endeavor.

Hydrofluorocarbons, HFCs, are intentionally manufactured fluorinated greenhouse gases, which are used as replacements for ozone-depleting substances. Like the ozone-depleting substances they replace, most HFCs are potent greenhouse gases.

Secretary Kerry has a longstanding personal interest in the Montreal Protocol and has been passionate in his support of phasing out ozone-depleting substances for years. As demonstrated by his presence at the Vienna negotiations in July, he's committed to the adoption of an ambitious HFC amendment this year. Having him and Administrator McCarthy leading the delegation in Kigali signals this Administration's dedication to build upon the Paris Agreement by taking concrete and consequential actions to highlight and address climate change.

Success this week will rely on continued leadership from all of those who helped make Paris a reality and then the ICAO agreement. To let down now would be a disservice to all who have worked so hard to get this far and a disservice to future generations.

Thank you. We'll now take your questions.

MODERATOR: That sounds great. Operator, if we can go to questions, please?

OPERATOR: Thank you. And once again, ladies and gentlemen, if you do wish to ask a question, please press *1 on your touchtone phone. You will hear a tone indicating you've been placed in queue. You may remove yourself from queue at any time by pressing the pound key. Once again, if you have a question, please press *1 at this time.

Our first question is from the line of Lesley Wroughton from Reuters. Please go ahead.

QUESTION: Yes, good morning. When we traveled to Vienna, everybody was quite upbeat that a deal was likely to be reached in Kigali. Would you say that the mood is the same? What is the likelihood of a deal being reached this weekend? In particular, I wanted also to ask you about India's position. India's been pushing back at specific issues within the plan.

What – and it's clearly under pressure to speed up its plans for cutting these HFCs. What are you – are the negotiations with India on this? How do you think – or do you think you'll be able to convince them to come around?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL TWO: Thanks very much. Starting with your first question, we are optimistic about reaching an agreement this week in Kigali. All the countries who are here have rolled up their sleeves and are actively engaged in the negotiations. And while there are a number of points that still need to be resolved, we remain optimistic about being able to leave at the end of the week with an ambitious amendment.

The issues cut across several different countries. India is one of the key players here. But as I said, we are committed to working together. In fact, President Obama and President Modi, in one of their high-level statements when they met back in June, committed to achieving a successful outcome here. And we believe that they have come in good faith to negotiate a successful outcome.

MODERATOR: Thank you very much. Operator, do we have any more questions?

OPERATOR: At this time, I have no further questions in queue.

MODERATOR: Thank you. Would either of our senior State Department officials like to make any closing remarks?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL ONE: No, thank you.

MODERATOR: Great. And with that, this concludes this call. Thank you very much for joining us. As a reminder, there is no embargo on this call. The transcript will be posted when we're wheels-down in Kigali. And have a great day.