Refrigeration, Air-Conditioning, and Heat Pump (RACHP) equipment plays a major role in the society today and the need for its use is constantly increasing. Improving energy efficiency has a significant impact on the cost to own and operate these devices. Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) and energy labels, if well-designed and implemented, are powerful tools for market transformation towards more efficient equipment, resulting in energy savings. However, even the most efficient equipment needs to be properly installed, operated, maintained, and serviced for MEPS to achieve their full potential. The Montreal Protocol has a proven record of training servicing sector technicians in developing countries, with over 262,000 technicians trained so far through the Multilateral Fund–supported projects. Therefore, the training and certification process under the Montreal Protocol presents a great, untapped opportunity to address energy efficiency considerations in the servicing sector, to ensure and augment benefits of energy-efficient and climate-friendly cooling and refrigeration and support MEPS.

The Montreal Protocol has been pivotal in phasing out ozone depleting substances (ODS), used as refrigerants in various applications like air-conditioning, refrigeration, foams, and fire extinguishers. However, the existing ODS banks, defined as the total amounts of these substances still contained in equipment, stockpiles, and products not yet released into the atmosphere, represent significant, hidden climate challenge, because many of ODS are also potent greenhouse gases.

This event will explore the magnitude of this threat and discuss effective strategies for managing and destroying the banks to prevent their leakage into the atmosphere. Solutions include life cycle refrigerant management, Recovery, Reclamation and Recycling, and safe destruction. Managing ODS banks can generate valuable carbon offset credits under the Paris Agreement through national and voluntary carbon trading mechanisms. The issue of the transboundary movement of ODS under the Basel Convention will be also considered. 

Ozone Secretariat, Cool Coalition and CCAC | Cooling for Climate Action: Your Ministers’ Cool Soundbites, High-Level Event (Shared Presentation Stage 3, B7, Bld 88)

COP28 is a critical moment for action on cooling.  Recognizing the adaptation and mitigation benefits of cooling, the COP28 UAE Presidency has championed a Global Cooling Pledge with over 65 country signatories to date, which intends to raise ambition and international cooperation on cooling through collective targets for reducing emissions, improving energy efficiency and climate-friendly approaches to cooling and significantly increase access to sustainable cooling. The new UNEP report Global Cooling Watch launched at COP28 shows that countries can reduce emissions from cooling by over 60% while meeting growing cooling needs and creating significant economic benefits through integrated and accelerated policy action on passive cooling, energy efficiency, and the fast phase-down of HFCs.

We are inviting a select group of country representatives at Minister and senior leadership level, leading in the cooling space to engage in dialogue and provide their “soundbites” on how they are acting on these three fronts and delivering on the Montreal Protocol/Kigali Amendment, Paris Agreement and the Global 2030 Agenda.

CEEW | Clean Cooling for All: Technology Cooperation Lessons, Challenges and Opportunities Linked to the Clean Cooling Transition

There is spotlight on cooling at COP28 for a good reason: Cooling applications contribute about 7% to GHG emissions, and the rising demand and use of incumbent technologies, the share will rise to 20% of GHG emissions by 2050. By switching to clean cooling technologies, their emissions will decrease significantly, as well as increase opportunities to provide access to affordable and sustainable cooling solutions to all.

Clean cooling technology options are available — just not accessible or affordable everywhere, especially within low-income countries. The expected high demand for cooling in coming years from markets like India makes it imperative that new cooling technologies are introduced in appropriate places. This will prepare the ecosystem for commercial deployment of technology in the short run, and in the long run help countries meet commitments under the Kigali Amendment to Montreal Protocol and Paris Agreement on Climate Change. 

Bilateral and multilateral technology cooperation becomes critical to accelerate transition to sustainable and clean cooling. In this context, Future Refrigeration India (INDEE+) is an Indian Norwegian bilateral environmental cooperation project that aims to demonstrate eco-friendly cooling systems applying natural refrigerants (such as: ammonia, carbon dioxide, and hydrocarbons) to promote a clean, sustainable, and reliable heating and cooling solutions for the future heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration sector in India.

This side event will use the opportunity to inform and showcase the progress made under the INDEE+ project, plans to expand the programme, challenges faced in demonstration projects and lessons learnt for further deployment. It will convene the leading practitioners and researchers in sustainable cooling to understand how bilateral cooperation and collaborative R&D, knowledge transfer, technology development and deployment can be achieved to enable access to clean cooling system solutions for all. 

IIR | Empowering Youth in Cooling and Building of Local Skills

The refrigeration sector is fast expanding: we need more and more equipment and applications therefore we need more qualified people all over the world. There is a need to make the importance of the refrigeration and building industry more visible to the general public and particularly to the younger generation for a brighter and sustainable future.