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Today and tomorrow — recovery + Kigali

Where the global ozone-protection effort stands now, the Kigali Amendment HFC phase-down, and Seychelles' 2026 R-410A step.

Today and tomorrow — recovery + Kigali#

The Montreal Protocol is widely regarded as the most successful environmental treaty in history. Universal ratification (197 parties), strong compliance, and accelerating phase-outs have stabilised the ozone layer and put it on track for full recovery.

Source: UNEP OzonAction — About the Montreal Protocol.

Today — recovery underway#

UN-WMO assessments project the ozone layer will return to 1980 levels around 2066 over Antarctica and earlier elsewhere — provided countries stay on the agreed phase-out paths.

For Seychelles, that means HCFC consumption is being reduced under the Article 5 schedule for developing countries, with technical and financial support from the Multilateral Fund.

Source: UNEP Ozone Secretariat — Seychelles country profile.

Tomorrow — the Kigali Amendment {#kigali}#

The Kigali Amendment (2016, in force 2019) extends the Montreal Protocol to hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) — gases that don't damage ozone, but are powerful greenhouse gases. Phasing them down is one of the largest single climate-mitigation actions on the books and is projected to avoid up to 0.4 °C of warming by 2100.

Seychelles ratified the Kigali Amendment on 27 May 2019.

Source: UNEP Ozone Secretariat — Kigali Amendment.

What's happening now in Seychelles (2026)#

Seychelles is preparing for the 2026 phase-down step on R-410A — a common HFC in residential and commercial air-conditioning. Importers, contractors, and large end-users should plan for tighter quotas and prepare to migrate to lower-GWP alternatives such as R-32, R-1234yf, or hydrocarbon refrigerants where the application allows.

Source: Seychelles Nation — "Seychelles prepares for 2026 phase-down of R-410A".

What you can do#