New Delhi (PTI): India has decided to strongly oppose the attempt by European countries to shift regulation of hydrofluorocarbons from the UN climate convention into the Montreal Protocol, arguing that the move was aimed at avoiding giving funds to developing nations for eliminating HFCs.

Terming it as a "backdoor attempt" by European nations to avoid funding the developing nations under the Kyoto Protocol to eliminate HFCs, a senior Environment Ministry official told PTI that they were hopeful of getting support from China when the Montreal negotiators discuss the issue during a workshop in July.

The final decision would be made at the annual conference in November.

At present, China is producing 4 lakh tonnes of HFCs followed by India at 40 thousand tonnes. HFCs are used as refrigerants in air conditioners, refrigerators and freezers, as well as in some fire-fighting foams.

They are sometimes described as "super-greenhouse gases" because they are hundreds or even thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide in heating the atmosphere. HFCs are byproducts of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), two other classes of refrigerants which are controlled under the Montreal Protocol.