BPC Statement on Senate Ratification of the Kigali Amendment

Washington, DC – The following is a statement from Sasha Mackler, executive director of the Energy Program at the Bipartisan Policy Center:

“Senate ratification of the Kigali Amendment to phase down the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), powerful greenhouse gases, is one of America’s most important bipartisan climate change achievements of the last 30 years. BPC applauds this historic action by the Senate. 

“The ratification continues two years of bipartisan action on energy policy—including the 2020 Energy Act, the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the 2022 CHIPs and Science Act—which together have large climate and economic benefits. 

“The Kigali Amendment will limit warming by almost a full degree Fahrenheit this century. HFCs are chemicals used in air conditioning and refrigeration, and are often thousands of times more powerful than CO2 in causing warming. American industry has been at the vanguard of developing new chemicals that are far less harmful to the climate. Ratification will generate 33,000 direct Americans jobs, and an additional 120,000 indirect U.S. jobs. U.S. industry also stands to gain a 25% greater market share in refrigerant alternatives to HFCs, which will be phased down, allowing exports to more than double.   

“I again congratulate the Senate on its historic economic and climate action.”