# Explained: The Kigali Amendment turns 10 as India's demand for cooling surges

URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-10-15/kigali-amendment-ten-years-cooling/
Date: 15 October 2026 (2026-10-15)
Source: Indian Express, Explained
UPSC papers: GS3, GS2
Publisher: upsc.help (Pratidin), free and open-source UPSC Civil Services current affairs. Not affiliated with UPSC. Every fact was checked against the source reports by a separate review before publishing.

**In one line:** Ten years after it was adopted, the Kigali Amendment commits India to cut HFCs 85% by 2047, while its cooling needs keep growing.

The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol completes ten years on 15 October 2026. Adopted in Kigali, Rwanda, on 15 October 2016, it added hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) to the list of controlled substances and entered into force on 1 January 2019. HFCs were introduced as substitutes for ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). They do not harm the ozone layer but are powerful greenhouse gases. The Indian Express explainer says full implementation could prevent 0.3°C to 0.5°C of global warming by 2100. As of 8 April 2026, 172 states and the European Union had ratified the amendment.

India's Cabinet approved ratification in August 2021, and India ratified on 27 September 2021. Its schedule, among the latest for developing countries, uses average 2024 to 2026 levels as the baseline, freezes HFC production and consumption in 2028, and then cuts 10% by 2032, 20% by 2037, 30% by 2042 and 85% by 2047. In 2021 the government said it would draw up a national HFC phase-down strategy by 2023 and amend the Ozone Depleting Substances (Regulation and Control) Rules by mid-2024. The Multilateral Fund under the Montreal Protocol helps developing countries with the technology change.

The challenge, the explainer argues, is that India's cooling demand is booming. It says cooling already accounts for over a tenth of India's annual electricity demand, rising to about a third on hot summer nights, and that demand is projected to more than double by 2035. The India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) of March 2019 projected cooling demand to grow about eight times by 2037-38 from 2017-18, and set goals of cutting cooling demand by 20% to 25%, refrigerant demand by 25% to 30% and cooling energy needs by 25% to 40% by 2037-38. The explainer cites the UN Environment Programme and the International Energy Agency as saying that pairing the HFC shift with better cooling efficiency could double the climate benefit.

## Prelims facts

- The Kigali Amendment was adopted on 15 October 2016 and entered into force on 1 January 2019; it brings HFCs under the Montreal Protocol.
- HFCs do not deplete the ozone layer but are potent greenhouse gases.
- India ratified on 27 September 2021: baseline 2024 to 2026, freeze in 2028, 85% cut by 2047.
- The India Cooling Action Plan (March 2019) projects cooling demand to grow about eight times by 2037-38 from 2017-18.
- The Montreal Protocol has 198 parties and is the first UN treaty to be universally ratified.

## Quick recall

- **When and where was the Kigali Amendment adopted?** 15 October 2016, in Kigali, Rwanda.
- **When did the Kigali Amendment enter into force?** 1 January 2019.
- **When did India ratify the Kigali Amendment?** 27 September 2021, after Cabinet approval in August 2021.
- **India's HFC baseline years?** Average of 2024 to 2026 levels.
- **India's HFC freeze year?** 2028.
- **India's final HFC phase-down target?** 85% cut from baseline by 2047.
- **Cooling demand growth projected in the India Cooling Action Plan?** About eight times by 2037-38 compared with 2017-18.
- **Number of parties to the Montreal Protocol?** 198 (197 states plus the EU); it is universally ratified.

## Prelims practice question

With reference to the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, consider the following statements:
1. It seeks to phase down hydrofluorocarbons.
2. Hydrofluorocarbons are ozone-depleting substances.
3. India's commitment includes an 85% reduction from its baseline by 2047.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (b) 1 and 3 only. Statement 1 is correct. Statement 2 is wrong: HFCs contain no chlorine and do not deplete the ozone layer; they are controlled because they are strong greenhouse gases. Statement 3 is correct: India's schedule ends with an 85% cut by 2047.

## UPSC previous-year questions this connects to

- UPSC Mains 2022, GS2: 'Clean energy is the order of the day.' Describe briefly India's changing policy towards climate change in various international fora in the context of geopolitics. (https://upsc.help/pyq/q255-clean-energy-order-day-describe-briefly-india/)
  How to use this story in the answer: Use Kigali to show India accepting binding climate-related targets while securing later timelines suited to a developing, hot country.
- UPSC Mains 2017, GS3: 'Climate Change' is a global problem. How India will be affected by climate change? How Himalayan and coastal states of India will be affected by climate change? (https://upsc.help/pyq/q299-climate-change-global-problem-india-will-affected/)

## Mains practice question

Ten years after the Kigali Amendment, India's demand for cooling is rising rapidly. Examine how India can meet its HFC phase-down commitments without compromising access to cooling. (250 words)

### Model answer

The Kigali Amendment, adopted on 15 October 2016, brought hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under the Montreal Protocol. India ratified it in 2021 and must freeze HFC use in 2028 and cut it 85% by 2047, just as cooling demand surges.

## The challenge
- **Demand**: the India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) projects cooling demand to grow about eight times by 2037-38 from 2017-18.
- **Power**: cooling takes over a tenth of annual electricity demand and about a third on hot summer nights, according to the Indian Express explainer.
- **Equity**: cooling is a need in a hot country; heat exposure harms health and productivity.
- **Servicing**: leaks during repair release refrigerants, so technician skills matter.

## What India can do
- **Follow the schedule**: baseline 2024 to 2026, freeze 2028, cuts of 10% (2032), 20% (2037), 30% (2042) and 85% (2047).
- **Pair gas change with efficiency**: UNEP and the IEA say this could double the climate benefit.
- **Use ICAP goals**: cut cooling demand 20% to 25%, refrigerant demand 25% to 30% and cooling energy 25% to 40% by 2037-38.
- **Reduce the need for cooling**: building design and passive cooling lower demand before machines are bought.
- **Train technicians**: ICAP targeted 1,00,000 certified servicing technicians by 2022-23.
- **Use finance**: the Multilateral Fund supports developing countries' transition.

## Way forward
- Notify HFC controls under the Ozone Depleting Substances Rules on time.
- Link appliance efficiency standards to the refrigerant shift.

India can treat Kigali as an opportunity to build efficient, affordable cooling, so that climate goals and thermal comfort advance together.

## The basics

## Why this matters

The Kigali Amendment was adopted on 15 October 2016. It brought hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), the gases that cool our refrigerators and air conditioners, under the ozone treaty because they warm the planet. For India, a hot country whose cooling needs are rising fast, the question is how to cut HFCs without cutting access to cooling. Environment and international agreements are core to GS3 and Prelims.

## From ozone to climate

The Montreal Protocol of 1987 phased out ozone-depleting chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Industry moved to HFCs, which contain no chlorine and do not harm the ozone layer. But HFCs are strong greenhouse gases: their global warming potential (GWP), the heat they trap compared with the same mass of carbon dioxide, ranges from about 12 to 14,800. The Kigali Amendment fixed this side effect.

## How the phase-down works

Countries cut HFC production and consumption in steps from a baseline. Developing countries get later dates. India is in the later group, with a baseline of 2024 to 2026 levels (see India's HFC phase-down schedule).

## The cooling challenge

Cooling demand in India is set to climb steeply. The India Cooling Action Plan of 2019 projected nationwide cooling demand to grow about eight times by 2037-38 from 2017-18. The Indian Express explainer notes that cooling already takes over a tenth of India's annual electricity demand and about a third on hot summer nights. So the HFC shift and Energy-efficient cooling must go together: a cleaner gas in an inefficient machine still burns more power.

## Sources

- https://superkalam.com/current-affairs/15-10-2026/kigali-amendment-at-10-the-challenge-india-faces-as-demand-for-cooling-booms-pg6-739ad3e1-fe63-4cea-9e14-d1383c2332fe
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kigali_Amendment
- https://iasbaba.com/2021/08/ratification-of-kigali-amendment/
- https://ozonecell.nic.in/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/INDIA-COOLING-ACTION-PLAN-e-circulation-version080319.pdf
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Protocol
- https://science.thewire.in/environment/india-ratifies-kigali-amendment-to-montreal-protocol-to-phase-out-hfcs/