Government structures

The Spanish refrigeration association AEFYT has warned of a “critical” refrigerant shortage and appealed to the Spanish government to reduce the country’s tax on HFCs.

A leading US refrigerant services provider has backed indications that the USA will join the global HFC phase-down by signing the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.

Countries brought good presents to the Montreal Protocol’s 30th birthday bash. Here are a few things to be thankful for at the end of the annual meeting of the parties to the world’s most successful environmental treaty.

As global efforts to phase down production and use of f-gases pick up pace, illegal trade in HCFCs is increasing and there are already signs of an illegal trade in HFCs, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) warned at an ATMOsphere Network event at the 29th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol (MOP 29) in Montreal, Canada on Tuesday.

To clarify implementation of legislation governing reuse, recycling, and regeneration of waste f-gases, the French Ministry for the Ecological Transition yesterday (22 November) published a guidance document governing the reuse, recycling and disposal of HFCs.

The world returns to Montreal this week to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the 1987 Montreal Protocol, the treaty that saved the ozone layer.

A flurry of countries ratifying the Kigali amendment this week has ensured that the global HFC phase down will come into force on 1 January 2019.

The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which will bring about a global phase-down of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), will take effect in January 2019 as a number of EU Member States have now deposited their ratification instruments.

The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), a Washington, D.C.-based NGO, is urging that the Montreal Protocol meetings taking place next week address the need for updated hydrocarbon safety standards that would enable faster adoption of hydrocarbon HVAC&R systems in place of HFC systems.

On November 3, 2017 a group of UN experts has urged placing human rights at the center of efforts directed at implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change, said the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The call came immediately before the 2017 UN Climate Change Conference opened in Bonn, Germany.

The EU expects this year’s UN climate conference (COP23) to reaffirm once again the international community’s commitment to stepping up the global response to climate change and achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement.

Warmer than average weather conditions this year are said to account for satellite measurements showing the hole in the Antarctic ozone layer as the smallest since 1988.

National Ozone Officers, Climate Focal points and Refrigeration Experts from Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova (Republic of), Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan, representatives of the Ozone Secretariat and the implementing agencies UN Environment and UNIDO participate in the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) thematic meeting on HCFC phase-out management plans and HFCs phase-down initiatives in Tbilisi from 24-26 October 2017.

The US Environmental Protection Agency head has said the administration will end the climate plan signed by Trump’s predecessor. The Clean Power Plan was designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

This September marks 30 years since the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was adopted. In honour of this important milestone, the Ozone Secretariat and the global community are launching the #OzoneHeroes campaign. A public engagement campaign to celebrate the international agreement’s success in protecting Earth against ozone depletion and mitigating climate change.

The IIR International Conference on the Application of HFO Refrigerants is calling for papers. Submission is quick and easy. Click here to visit the conference website for full details. The deadline for abstracts is Monday 2nd October.

The U.S. State Department has officially informed the United Nations it will withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement in a document issued on Friday, but left the door open to re-engaging if the terms improved for the United States.

The European Commission has initiated an evaluation of the European ODS regulations to establish whether they are still fit for purpose.

‘Cooling for All’ aims to organize government, academia, civil society, and business leaders to facilitate energy-efficient, low-GWP cooling solutions for poorest countries.

A UN-backed initiative is to look at addressing the challenge of providing access to affordable, sustainable cooling solutions for all.