Highlights and images for 7 July 2023

After a marathon day spent in contact groups and informal discussions, the forty-fifth meeting of the Open-ended Working Group (OEWG 45) of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer came to a close in Bangkok, Thailand.

During the morning plenary, delegates agreed to forward four new draft proposals to the thirty-fifth Meeting of the Parties (MOP 35), convening in Nairobi in October 2023. These new proposals, which were not formally discussed at the OEWG, concern:

• Shared responsibility to stop dumping of inefficient cooling equipment containing obsolete refrigerants, submitted by African states;
• Feedstock uses, submitted by Australia;
• Abating emissions of carbon tetrachloride (CTC), submitted by Switzerland; and
• Stratospheric aerosol injections (SAI) and protection of the ozone layer, submitted by Australia and Canada.

Delegates spent the bulk of the day in contact and informal group meetings, trying to cover as much ground as possible before MOP 35.

The contact groups addressed emissions of HFC-23, the proposed adjustment to the hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) phase-down baselines, and the replenishment of the Multilateral Fund (MLF) for the implementation of the Protocol. The informal groups considered items related to gaps in the global coverage of atmospheric monitoring of controlled substances, and the emerging issue of very short-lived substances (VSLS) with ozone-depleting potential. These issues will be considered at MOP 35.

In the evening, delegates agreed to a list of suggestions for additional analysis in a supplementary report on the MLF replenishment for the period 2024-2026. The OEWG agreed to annex this list to the meeting report, noting that the requests contained therein will be addressed by the Replenishment Task Force (RTF) of the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel (TEAP) in preparation for MOP 35.

OEWG Co-Chair Ralph Brieskorn, the Netherlands, noted that several issues could not be concluded at this meeting and would need to be addressed at the MOP. These include issues related to the terms of reference for the next quadrennial assessment, the future availability of halons, lifecycle refrigerant management, and the future configuration of the Technical Options Committees of the TEAP. Thanking delegates for their hard work, OEWG Co-Chair Vidémé Amèh Djossou, Togo, closed the meeting at 8:51 pm.