The United States and China have agreed to reduce the use of hydro fluorocarbons, or HFCs, a heat-trapping pollutant typically used in refrigerators, air conditioners and other industrial and household products, UPI reported. The announcement from the White House Saturday came as U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded a two-day meeting in California. The two countries agreed to work together and with other countries through the Montreal Protocol -- a 1987 United Nations-hosted treaty established to protect the ozone layer -- to phase down the consumption and production of the chemicals. Noting that every country in the world is a party to the 1987 Protocol, the White House said that as a result, several key classes of chemicals, including chlorofluorocarbons and hydro chlorofluorocarbons have successfully been phased out or are in the process of being phased out. Because HFCs are typically used as a substitute, the White House said, "the unintended consequence is the rapid current and projected future growth of climate-damaging HFCs.