ODS Policy and Regulations - Lesson 4: ODS Legislation - Schedule for Reduction in Consumption

Schedule for Reduction in Consumption

In accordance with obligations acquired with the signing and implementation of the Montreal Protocol, Mexico made a commitment at the 42nd meeting of the Protocol's Executive Committee to eliminate the consumption of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by the year 2010, and to maintain an inventory of 979 metric tons by the same year, exclusively for meeting basic domestic needs.

Accordingly, an "Agreement through which the general public is informed of the schedule for reducing the consumption of and inventories of chlorofluorocarbons in Mexico" was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation on 26 March 2007. This agreement is applicable to the substances known as: CFC-11, CFC-12, CFC-113, CFC-114 and CFC-115. The schedule was specified as follows:

	METRIC TONS PER YEAR
	2007	2008	2009	2010
Maximum allowable consumption of CFCs.	50	50	50	0
Maximum limit on stored amounts.	1639	1264	1119	979

In addition Mexico has adopted the following commitments in the Montreal Protocol:

ODS	Baseline	Reduction Commitment
CFC and Halons	Average consumption from the years 1995-1997	50% beginning in 2005 85% beginning in 2007 100% beginning in 2010.
Methyl bromide	Average consumption from the years 1995-1998	20% beginning in 2005 100% beginning in 2015.
HCFC's	Production and consumption frozen at 2015 levels, beginning in 2016.	100% beginning in 2040.

SOURCE: Support material for customs course entitled "CONSUMO DE SUSTANCIAS AGOTADORAS DE LA CAPA DE OZONO EN MÉXICO, LOGROS DE MÉXICO EN MATERIA DE REDUCCIÓN DE SAO," General Bureau of Air Quality Management (Dirección General de Gestión de la Calidad del Aire) and Registro de Emisiones y Transferencia de Contaminantes (RETC), Ozone Layer Protection Unit (Unidad de Protección a la Capa de Ozono), Semarnat, September 2005.

The Ozone Layer Protection Unit administered by Semarnat has identified the following achievements in relation to reducing ozone-depleting substances:

YEAR	ACHIEVEMENTS IN REDUCING CONSUMPTION
1990	More than 90% reduction in the consumption of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), due to the implementation of more than 100 projects for substituting the use of these substances in domestic and commercial refrigerators, air conditioners, aerosol sprays, solvents and polyurethane foams.
1990	Aerosol products distributed in Mexico use alternative propellants.
1997	All the domestic and commercial refrigerators produced in our country are CFC free.
2004	Mexico's Halcon Bank, which will encourage the recycling and reuse of halons in fire control systems for which there is no alternative.
2005	The Mexican government made a commitment with the Montreal Protocol to go ahead and close the CFC production plant operated by the Quimobásicos company in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. Our country is taking this action four years earlier than the date stipulated in the Protocol. This will mean that CFC production in North America will be completely phased out, thereby promoting an end to this production not only in Mexico, but in all of Latin America and other regions of the world.
2005	Projects have been implemented to provide technical assistance and training to users of methyl bromide—a substance used as a pesticide for fumigating soil and grain and flour storage areas—with the aim of reducing the consumption of this substance by 20% by the year 2005, in line with our country’s commitments in the Montreal Protocol.
2005	Mexico phased out its production of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) used in refrigerators, air conditioners, aerosol sprays and in the production of polyurethane foams. With this action Mexico fulfilled its commitments in this regard before the stipulated deadline, thereby reducing total CFC production in the world by 12% and in the hemisphere by 60%.
2005	100% elimination of CFC use in the production of polyurethane foams, thereby eliminating the use of more than 600 metric tons of these compounds in more than 200 companies in our country.

These achievements and other related information can be consulted online at http://sissao.semarnat.gob.mx/sissao/unidad.htm.