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.

This brief has been prepared for the UN Convention on Climate Change meeting in Copenhagen, December 2009, to raise awareness of the imminent impacts of climate change on food security in Pacific island countries and territories and to urge participants to consider the importance of mainstreaming food security in climate-related policies, strategies and programmes.

Two island nations, Micronesia and Mauritius, filed a proposed amendment on 30th April 09 to regulate HFCs under the Montreal Protocol ozone treaty. HFC emissions are expected to grow rapidly over the next few decades, equaling about one third of the climate problem by 2040.

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.

This document presents the results of a partnership between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme and the University of the South Pacific. It presents the issues and requirements that Pacific islands face regarding the impacts of climate change on food sources and water.