Statement on Senate Ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer
Today the Senate delivered a historic, bipartisan win for American workers and industry. Ratifying the Kigali Amendment will allow us to lead the clean technology markets of the future, by innovating and manufacturing those technologies here in America. Ratification will spur the growth of manufacturing jobs, strengthen U.S. competitiveness, and advance the global effort to combat the climate crisis.
The Kigali Amendment will phase down global production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a superpollutant chemical that is hundreds to thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide. American companies are already leading on innovation and manufacturing of HFC alternatives, and today's vote will help our Nation unlock an estimated 33,000 new domestic manufacturing jobs, $4.8 billion each year in increased exports, and $12.5 billion each year in increased economic output. This builds on the steps my administration is already taking to phase down these dangerous superpollutants, with the support of Democrats and Republicans, industry leaders, and environmental organizations.
The United States is back at the table leading the fight against climate change. As more countries join the United States in ratifying this amendment, we can prevent up to half a degree Celsius of warming this century, a significant contribution to fighting climate change and protecting communities from more extreme impacts.
I want to thank Chairman Menendez, Ranking Member Risch, and Senators Carper and Kennedy for their leadership to get this done. I look forward to signing the instrument of ratification for the Kigali Amendment, so that as we continue our domestic manufacturing resurgence, we will deliver economic and environmental progress on the world stage.
NOTE: The statement referred to Robert Menendez, chairman, and James E. Risch, ranking member, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Statement on Senate Ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/358031