United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has urged countries to fully implement the Kigali Amendment, warning that access to safe and efficient cooling is becoming a matter of survival as global temperatures rise.
In a message marking World Ozone Day, Guterres said increasingly frequent episodes of extreme heat were making cooling essential for human health, food preservation, livelihoods and climate resilience.
“Access to efficient cooling saves lives,” Guterres said, adding that the growing demand must be met “fairly and sustainably.”
The Kigali Amendment was adopted in Rwanda’s capital in 2016 as an extension of the Montreal Protocol, the international agreement credited with placing the Earth’s damaged ozone layer on a path to recovery.
The amendment targets hydrofluorocarbons, commonly known as HFCs. These gases are widely used in air conditioners, refrigerators and other cooling systems. Although they do not destroy the ozone layer, some HFCs trap far more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.
Guterres said full implementation of the amendment could prevent up to 0.5 degrees Celsius of global warming by the end of the century. The climate benefits could double when the transition away from HFCs is combined with more energy-efficient cooling systems.
The issue extends beyond household air conditioning. Reliable cooling is needed to preserve food, protect medicines and vaccines, keep hospitals functioning and shield workers, children and elderly people from dangerous heat.
However, expanding cooling using inefficient appliances or climate-warming refrigerants could increase electricity consumption and emissions. The Kigali Amendment seeks to avoid that cycle by encouraging countries to phase down HFCs while adopting cleaner and more efficient technologies.
Guterres called on countries that have not yet ratified the amendment to do so and urged those that have joined it to accelerate implementation.
His appeal comes ten years after the agreement was adopted and weeks before parties to the Montreal Protocol return to Kigali for their 38th meeting, scheduled for November 2–6, 2026.
The meeting will return global attention to the city where the amendment was negotiated and examine progress in reducing harmful refrigerants while widening access to sustainable cooling.
For Rwanda, the anniversary carries particular significance.
The Kigali Amendment remains one of the most consequential global environmental agreements ever concluded in the country, linking its capital directly to efforts to slow global warming and protect vulnerable populations from extreme heat.
