The international ozone talks wrapped up in Bangkok today with negotiators making some progress on hydrofluorocarbons but ultimately delaying a decision on whether, when and how to overhaul the Montreal Protocol in order to tackle global warming head on.

The outcome wasn’t a surprise, as discussed in our story earlier this week, but it appears that momentum is indeed building for the idea of deploying the Montreal Protocol to clean up HFCs (including HFC-134a, a refrigerant commonly used in vehicles; image at right courtesy of Wikipedia). Ninety-one countries signed a declaration in support of such action, compared to 41 at last year’s meeting, and more signatures are expected in the run up to the United Nations climate talks in Cancun, Mexico, later this month, according to an update from the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development.

The Federated States of Micronesia have led the way by proposing an amendment to phase down HFCs that would reduce global warming emissions by the equivalent of up to 100 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2050, according to IGSD. That is more than three times the annual carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels for the entire globe. A similar amendment has been submitted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Opposition came from China, India and Brazil, which pushed for further consideration next year, but most observers say it’s just a matter of time before they, too, come around.