Through its voice, actions, and partnerships, UNEP is working tirelessly to reverse the triple planetary crises of climate change, nature loss, and pollution. The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and its Kigali Amendment are part and parcel of this effort since full compliance with these treaties will help protect life on Earth from the ravages of both stratospheric ozone depletion and climate change. Often considered to be the most successful multilateral environmental agreement (MEA) to date, the treaty owes much of its achievements to the dedication and innovation of the refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) sector.
As an Implementing Agency of the Protocol’s Multilateral Fund, UNEP’s Law Division through OzonAction provides interconnected and mutually supporting services and projects that assist 148 developing countries to comply with their international commitments to mitigate climate change through the reduction of both direct emissions (refrigerants) and indirect emissions (energy consumption) under the Kigali Amendment. This work revolves around two main compliance pillars: the phase out of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and the phase down of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). The Kigali Amendment created a strong link between ozone layer protection and climate and set a clear path in protecting our planet’s environment: by eliminating HFCs, up to 0.4 ºC of global warming could be avoided by the end of this century, while continued ozone layer protection is ensured.
The choice of RAC technology and how it is installed, serviced, and maintained throughout its lifetime, as well as disposed of at the end of its life, all have a direct bearing on the sector’s consumption and emissions of refrigerants, as well as energy use. Since the servicing sector currently accounts for 80-100% of consumption of controlled substances in many developing countries, it has a significant impact on both ozone layer protection and climate change. Methods to enhance the ozone and climate performance of the servicing sector include training, certifying and professionalizing the RAC workforce, as well as promoting integrated approaches to refrigerant management, enabling the informed selection of refrigerant technology, promoting adoption of energy efficient equipment, adopting the best and safest servicing practices, optimizing installation practices, labelling, adopting equipment logbooks, preventing and fixing refrigerant leaks, recovering and recycling and reclaiming refrigerants, and managing an environmentally-responsible disposal and end of life for both refrigerants and equipment. This International Special Issue shines a much needed spotlight on many of these inter-connected topics.
None of these can be done without the right people, however. While there are many factors determining the successful phase out of the remaining HCFCs and the phase down of HFCs — laws, regulations, policies, incentives, technology, public-private cooperation, finance, cooperation and political will — perhaps the most critical factor is the workforce. In a highly competitive employment market, the RAC sector needs to attract, train, empower, and retain the most talented personnel from different walks of life and who possess different skill sets and diverse perspectives. This quest cannot be limited to just half of the population and so must seek to involve both women and men. In this respect, OzonAction is proud to be co-leading the Secretariat of the International Network of Women in Cooling and promoting the inclusion of more girls and women in RAC professions so that their talent and enthusiasm can help achieve the goals of the Montreal Protocol and its Kigali Amendment.
It is also important that we pull everyone along in this journey to collectively ensure ozone protection, climate mitigation, and energy efficiency goals, while giving focused assistance to countries, continents, and genders that need support and partnership.
Patricia Kameri-Mbote