Ever since the lead-up to the Kyoto Protocol negotiations in 1997, the international community has struggled to know how to deal with high global warming potential (GWP) gases. The situation at the time was complicated by the fact that those substances controlled under the Montreal Protocol as ozone depleting substances (ODS) are also among the most potent greenhouse gases (GHG) known to man. A decision was made to continue to deal with ODS under the Montreal Protocol while dealing with other high GWP gases within the Kyoto Protocol. However, differences in the control mechanisms adopted by the two Protocols has led to some unintended consequences – particularly in respect to choice of ODS substitutes and the management of the ‘banks’ of ODS already in use. This paper sets out to describe the impact of these unintended consequences and the development of recent initiatives to address them.
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