Highlights and images for 5 November 2025

“The atmosphere is telling us something else,” commented a delegate discussing the “massive discrepancy” between reported and monitored hydrofluorocarbon (HFC)-23 emissions. The HFC-23 emissions gap continued to be an important discussion point at the thirty-seventh Meeting of the Parties (MOP 37) to the Montreal Protocol.

With the High-level Segment set to begin on Thursday, delegates spent most of Wednesday floating between more than ten contact groups and informal groups. In a short mid-day plenary, Co-Chairs Annie Gabriel (Australia) and Shontelle Wellington (Barbados) noted that work is intensifying, contact groups need to be held in parallel, and some groups may only have one more meeting to finish their work.

Want to dig deeper into today's talks? Read the full Earth Negotiations Bulletin daily report.

The contact group deliberating the continuing use of halon 1301 in the aviation industry was the first to conclude its work. The cleaned-up conference room paper (CRP) reflects the outcome of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Assembly in September 2025 (resolution A42-11), which calls on the ICAO Council to develop a proposal for a revised sustainable cut-off date for halon replacements in new aircraft, given that acceptable and certifiable replacements are not yet available.

The draft decision encourages Parties to facilitate the import and export of recovered, recycled, or reclaimed halons used for fire suppression to enable Parties to meet their remaining needs. Parties are also invited to submit information on the development of alternatives suitable for use as fire suppressants.

Throughout the day, contact groups further discussed:  

• terms of reference for the study on the 2027‒2029 replenishment of the Multilateral Fund (MLF); 
• feedstock uses of controlled substances; 
• emissions of HFC-23; 
• accumulation of refrigerant gases nearing the end of their life cycles in Article 5 Parties; 
• national and regional initiatives to support the implementation of the Kigali Amendment; and 
• ensuring the viability of Montreal Protocol operations. 

The budget committee also convened and there were informal group discussions on further strengthening Montreal Protocol institutions and on options for the organization of the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel (TEAP). 

By the end of the day, a timid sense of satisfaction could be felt among participants about their fruitful discussions so far. But there was also a sense of urgency to make the most out of this MOP during the last two days of meetings when the High-level Segment will convene, and the contact groups rush to finish their negotiations on the remaining draft decisions.