How One Global Climate Deal Worked ‘Perfectly’ as Others Faltered

Over the past decade, the nations of the world have struggled to aggressively fight global warming. With a notable exception. In 2016, more than 170 countries agreed to phase out hydrofluorocarbons, super-polluting chemicals widely used in air-conditioners and refrigerators. Known as HFCs, they are an extremely potent greenhouse gas and trap much more heat than carbon dioxide. Ten years later, it’s clear that the ​agreement is succeeding​. And it offers a template for how other climate regulations might work ​despite political backlash to green policymaking, experts say. The HFC deal has “worked perfectly,” said Paul Bledsoe, who worked on climate issues under President Bill Clinton, and helped push for the HFC pact, known as the Kigali Amendment. “It reduces temperatures fast at an incredibly low cost.” . Countries are ahead of their target to cut production and use of HFCs. Chemical companies support the deal and are rolling out alternatives. The United Nations says the accord is projected to prevent 0.5 degrees Celsius of warming, or 0.9 degrees Fahrenheit, by the end of the century. Under the Paris Agreement, the 2015 international climate deal to fight climate change, the world has sought to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial times, though that is looking increasingly unlikely. We are having trouble retrieving the article content. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in . Want all of The Times? Subscribe .