Acting on a U.S. proposal, the world’s governments signed up to an accelerated freeze and phase-out of hydrochloroflurocarbons (HCFCs) under the 20-year-old Montreal Protocol, TreeHugger reports. The countries agreed to freeze production of HCFCs in 2013, as well as to bring forward the final phase-out date of the chemicals by 10 years.

Under the new agreement, developed countries will reduce production and consumption by 75 percent by 2010, and by 90 percent by 2015, while completely phasing the chemicals out in 2020.

Developing countries will cut production and consumption by 10 percent in 2015, by 35 percent by 2020, and by 67.5 percent by 2025, with the final phase-out deadline set for 2030.