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 at Montréal, Canada. This document by IGSD, presents the Press Release of the event on 8th Aug 2011 at Montreal.

The amendment, which was first put forward by the Federated States of Micronesia in 2009, is designed to protect countries most vulnerable to climate impacts, including low-lying islands and coastal countries already suffering from accelerating sea level rise, and agriculture-dependent countries of Asia and Africa already suffering drought and shifting rainfall. The United States, Canada, and Mexico followed with a similar HFC proposal. In February 2011, environment ministers from China, India, Brazil, and South Africa noted that the issue of phasing out HFCs required in depth study. India and the US formed a joint HFC Task Force.