Proposed amendments to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under the Montreal Protocol received support from a diverse group of developing and developed countries during the Thirty-first meeting of the Open-ended Working Group of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on "Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer" (OEWG 31) held on 1-5 August 2011

What insurance can the world afford to prevent repeating the catastrophic temperature increase of the past? A package of fast mitigation measures is recommended by Nobel Laureate Mario Molina and colleagues Durwood Zaelke, K. Madhava Sarma, Stephen O. Andersen, V. Ramanathan, and Donald Kaniaru.

According to the IPCC, the global average surface temperature increase from 1850-1899 to 2001-2005 is 0.76

The IGSD press release on a joint proposal by Micronesia and Mauritius for phasing down HFCs which could otherwise be responsible for 1/3rd of total climate emissions by 2040. The U.S. is also considering submitting its own proposal on HFCs to the Montreal Protocol.

Black carbon (BC), a component of soot, is a potent climate- forcing agent and has been estimated to be the second largest contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide (CO2). Thus, addressing BC emissions should be considered an essential element of any global warming mitigation strategy.