UAE issues decree regulating use of hydrofluorocarbons

The UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment has issued Decree No (138) of 2023 to regulate the use and distribution of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in the country.

This move is aimed at developing solutions and regulations to combat climate change, enhance air quality, and safeguard the environment,

This decree is established within the context of the Year of Sustainability, aligning with the UAE’s preparations to host the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) this year, according to a report published by the state news agency, WAM.

The regulations included in this decree apply across the UAE, encompassing all free zones and entities engaged in HFC-related activities.

Based on the decree, all such establishments must comply with a list of procedures, including:

• registering with the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment
• providing the establishment’s commercial or industrial license
• obtaining a warehouse license
• reporting the annual quantities of HFCs imported over the past three years

Moreover, they must secure a permit from the ministry to manufacture, import, export, re-export, or transit HFCs or recycled or reclaimed materials derived from HFCs, following all necessary approvals from local authorities.

The decree mandates regular reporting of HFC use

Additionally, the decree states that establishments must submit to the ministry quarterly reports detailing the quantities of hydrofluorocarbons sold, utilised, and remaining in stock.

Establishments also need to get prior permission from the relevant authority when disposing of waste hydrofluorocarbons and equipment containing them, reported WAM.

For transboundary disposals, establishments must comply with the obligations of the signatory nations under the Basel Convention, which governs the control of cross-border movements of hazardous wastes and their disposal.

This decree aligns with the UAE’s commitments under the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol concerning substances that deplete the ozone layer.

Cooling systems account for 7 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and projections suggest a significant increase in these emissions by 2050 due to the escalating average temperature of the planet.

The measures adopted under this new law concentrate on establishing legislation and guidelines to regulate the use of ozone-depleting substances and monitor their import and export. The UAE has met its commitments to completely prohibit chlorofluorocarbons and halons by the prescribed deadline in 2010.

The nation is progressively phasing out the use of HFCs in compliance with the quotas and timelines established at the nineteenth meeting of the parties, intending to ban them entirely by 2040.