KIGALI, Rwanda (AFP) — In a major step toward curbing global warming, the world community yesterday agreed to phase out a category of dangerous greenhouse gases widely used in refrigerators and air conditioners.

Nearly 200 countries agreed to end production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under an amendment to the 1987 Montreal Protocol on protecting the ozone layer.

HFCs fuel climate change because they are super-efficient at trapping heat in the Earth’s atmosphere.

Experts say that by scrapping these substances a massive step could be made towards achieving the UN’s goal to roll back global warming.

The agreement was greeted by applause from exhausted envoys who worked through the night in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, to put the finishing touches on the deal.

“Last year, in Paris, we promised to keep the world safe from the worst effects of climate change. Today (Saturday), we are following through on that promise,” UN Environment Programme chief Erik Solheim declared.

Yesterday US President Barack Obama hailed the deal in a White House statement saying the agreement was “an ambitious and far-reaching solution to (the) looming crisis” of climate change.

Among green groups, World Wildlife Fund said the deal was “great news for the climate”.

“It sends a powerful signal that our governments are serious about tackling climate change,” its climate spokeswoman Regine Guenther said.

Under the agreement, rich countries will move faster than developing giants to scrapping HFCs — a concession that was a source of regret for some.

“It may not be entirely what the islands wanted, but it is a good agreement,” said a representative of the tiny Pacific nation of the Marshall Islands, Mattlan Zackhras, whose country is badly exposed to sea level rise.

Christian Aid’s senior policy advisor, Benson Ireri, added: “It was a shame that India and a handful of other countries chose a slower time frame for phasing down HFCs.”

But he said the international community had passed its “first real test” since the historic Paris climate deal.