In October 2016, all countries of the United Nations agreed in Kigali (Rwanda) to include HFCs in Montreal Protocol and significantly reduce their usage. The purpose of this is to limit the contribution of HFCs to climate change. The primary goal of the 1987 Montreal Protocol of the United Nations is protection of the ozone layer. HFCs do not destroy the ozone layer and were therefore not included in the Montreal Protocol.

However, since HFCs are used as substitutes for ozone-depleting substances (CFCs and HCFCs) in the same applications, they are relevant to the protocol. Since 2009 the countries of the United Nations have negotiated to reduce the use of HFCs through the Montreal Protocol. This resulted in an amendment of the Montreal Protocol in October 2016. When a sufficient number of countries have ratified the amendment, it will enter into force on January 1, 2019.

If the expected strong growth in HFC use is avoided as a result of the implementation of the recent agreement under the Montreal Protocol, the contribution of HFCs to global surface warming is expected to be limited to less than 0.1 degrees Celsius by the end of the 21st century. Without the amendment of the Montreal Protocol the contribution of HFCs to the warming could have reached 0.3 to 0.5 degrees Celsius in 2100.

The figure shows the contribution of HFCs to the average surface warming of the Earth with and without the Kigali amendment.