India ratified the Kigali Amendment in 2021, committing to a phasedown of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), the super-pollutant refrigerants used in air conditioners and cooling equipment. The amendment, signed in 2016 under the Montreal Protocol, could avoid up to 0.5°C of global warming by 2100 if fully implemented. For India, the stakes are high: cooling already accounts for about 10% of electricity demand, and the IEA projects it will more than double by 2035. The country finalized its National Strategy for HFC phase-down in 2023 and runs the India Cooling Action Plan, which targets a 20-25% reduction in cooling demand and 25-40% lower energy use by 2037-38. Combining the refrigerant transition with efficiency gains could double the climate benefit, avoiding up to 460 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent over four decades. The challenge is execution. Appliance standards, technician training, and access to funding for manufacturers will determine whether the targets translate into real emission cuts.
