Put energy efficiency first, says United Nations at COP23
The United Nations’ Climate Technology Centre & Network (CTCN) is urging the Parties to the Paris Agreement to foster the adoption of energy-efficient technology. shecco – the publisher of this platform – reports from COP23 in Bonn, Germany.
This week’s international climate talks under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – commonly referred to as ‘COP23’ – are a place for political negotiations between the Parties to the Paris Agreement, but also a moment for stakeholders to showcase their work in the environmental field and to table recommendations.
The CTCN, a body hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Development Organization (UNIDO), supports countries in developing and transfering climate technologies under the so-called ‘Technology Mechanism’.
The Technology Mechanism was created by the Parties to the UNFCC talks at COP16 in Cancún, Mexico, in 2010 to enhance the development and transfer of climate technologies to developing countries.
CTCN is the implementation arm of the Technology Mechanism. It provides technical assistance and information to developing countries on climate technology and aims to foster international collaboration.
This year, the CTCN has developed a programme to support the replacement of f-gases used in refrigeration system in food processing production and exports (fruits and vegetables) in Chile, in collaboration with UNIDO.
“Energy efficiency is critical to reach our target under the Paris Agreement” said Claudia Octaviano Villasana, a member of Technology Executive Committee at COP23 in Bonn yesterday.
Villasana outlined the CTCN’s key policy recommendations to COP23 on ‘industrial energy and material efficiency in emission-intensive sectors’:
- Promote policies and programmes on industrial energy efficiency, e.g. setting long-term strategies and targets;
- Raise awareness about the potential costs and benefits of industrial energy efficiency, and;
- Enhance the capacities of various actors”.
- Natural refrigerant-based HVAC&R equipment, a market-ready alternative to HFC systems, is energy-efficient and has a global warming potential (GWP) of near zero.