| Article 5 countries |
https://ozone.unep.org/classification-parties |
| DPI |
Dry powder inhaler |
| EU Regulation |
EU, 2024, Regulation (EU) 2024/573 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 February 2024 on fluorinated greenhouse gases. |
| F-gas |
Fluorinated greenhouse gases. Human-made substances initially introduced to replace ozone-depleting substances. Read more here: https://climate.ec.europa.eu/eu-action/fluorinated-greenhouse-gases_en |
| Greenhouse effect |
The gases act like the glass walls of a greenhouse – hence the name, greenhouse gases. Without this greenhouse effect, temperatures would drop to a level too cold to sustain life on earth. |
| Greenhouse gases (GHGs) |
Gases in the earth’s atmosphere that trap heat. During the day, the sun shines through the atmosphere, warming the earth’s surface. At night the earth's surface cools, releasing heat back into the air. But some of the heat is trapped by the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. They include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and water vapour and F-gases. |
| GWP |
Global warming potential – the chemical traps heat from the sun in the earth’s atmosphere and thus makes the planet warm up faster, thereby contributing to the greenhouse effect |
| HFCs |
Hydrofluorocarbons which represent around 90% of all F-gases. Used in refrigeration, heat pumps, air conditioning equipment, aerosol sprays and pMDIs |
| Kigali Amendment |
Amendment to the Montreal Protocol which entered into force 1 January 2019 . Under the Amendment, all countries will gradually phase down HFCs by more than 80 per cent over the next 30 years and replace them with more planet-friendly alternatives. Developed countries will start reducing HFCs as early as 2019, while developing countries will start later. Phasing down HFCs under the Protocol is expected to avoid up to 0.5°C of global warming by the end of the century, while continuing to protect the ozone layer. https://ozone.unep.org/news/kigali-story |
| Montreal Protocol |
The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is the landmark multilateral environmental agreement that regulates the production and consumption of nearly 100 man-made chemicals referred to as ozone depleting substances (ODS). When released into the atmosphere, those chemicals damage the stratospheric ozone layer, Earth’s protective shield that protects humans and the environment from harmful levels of ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Adopted on 16 September 1987, the Protocol is to date one of the rare treaties to achieve universal ratification. The Montreal Protocol phases down the consumption and production of the different ODS in a step-wise manner, with different timetables for developed and developing countries (referred to as “Article 5 countries”). https://www.unep.org/ozonaction/who-we-are/about-montreal-protocol |
| PFAS |
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. PFAS are a large class of thousands of synthetic chemicals that are used throughout society. However, they are increasingly detected as environmental pollutants and some are linked to negative effects on human health. https://echa.europa.eu/hot-topics/perfluoroalkyl-chemicals-pfas DIRECTIVE (EU) 2019/904 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 5 June 2019 on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2019/904/oj |
| pMDIs |
Pressurised metered dose inhalers |
| Propellant |
A gas in which the medicine is dissolved or suspended. |