Title: Market Trends on Future-Friendly ACs and Heat Pumps

Description: The transition towards more environmentally and climate friendly refrigerants is reshaping the air conditioning and heat pump industry. Leapfrogging to highly energy efficient air conditioners (AC) and heat pumps (HP) using natural refrigerants has a huge mitigation potential at very low costs. It is estimated that “Green ACs” alone could reduce global warming by over 0.1 degrees Celsius. To accelerate the adoption of sustainable refrigerant solutions, a suitable regulatory landscape, market opportunities and technology innovation, including safety features, are crucial.

The primary objective of this side event is to provide stakeholders with insights into the latest market trends, innovations, and regulatory developments surrounding flammable refrigerants, with a focus on naturals. The topic will be analyzed from the perspective of both political decision-makers and the industry. For example, we will have a look at the new EU F-Gas Regulation and how it is influencing Europe’s AC and heat pump market.

We would like to foster knowledge exchange, dialogue, and collaboration to accelerate the adoption of sustainable refrigeration solutions.

Contact:

Theresa Bruns                                 

maria-theresa.bruns@giz.de

Title: The Transition to More Climate-Friendly Medical Inhalers in the EU

Description: The event will showcase the on-going developments in the EU on replacing highly warming HFCs in MDIs, and other options. This will include an overview over the new policy measures that have been introduced recently, including annual declining quotas for HFC to produce MDIs. It will further include manufacturers of medical inhalers to explain how they aim to roll out the new climate-friendly products, in order to meet the policy targets. The event will also explain the preparations in order to enable the approval processes for new inhalers.

Contact:

Arno Kaschel                             

arno.kaschl@ec.europa.eu

Title: Preparation of Kigali HFC implementation plans 

Description: The Multilateral Fund Secretariat has organized this side event as an opportunity for Article 5 countries to ask any questions they wish about the preparation of Kigali HFC implementation plans (KIPs). Staff from the Multilateral Fund Secretariat will be available to respond to questions during this informal question and answer session. The bilateral and implementing agencies have also been invited for further discussion and insights.

Contact:

Ico San Martin       

federico.sanmartini@un.org

Title: Lifecycle Refrigeration Management

Description: With our world leading platforms in recovery, reclamation, and destruction in adherence with Montreal Protocol guidelines, A-Gas is the global leader in Lifecycle Refrigerant Management (LRM). To enable the transition away from Ozone Depleting Substances and high Global Warming Potential virgin refrigerants we also supply lower global warming gases and reclaimed refrigerants.

The A-Gas approach provides a fully circular solution, focused on preventing the release of refrigerant gases to atmosphere. In 2023 our LRM activities abated ~8.9 million tonnes CO2e or the equivalent of 1.8 million cars off the road.

A-Gas has publicly pledged its commitment to reduce its emissions by >50% by 2028 and to achieve net-zero by2035.

Contact:

Elvira Nigido         

elvira.nigido@agas.com

Title: Substantiating Policy Making Through National Equipment Registers

Description: The event will provide insights and benefits of implementing national equipment registers covering equipment related data as well as activities such as servicing, and leak checking performed on RACHP equipment. National equipment databases contain valuable information including general aspects about common servicing practices in refrigeration and air conditioning as well as measurement-based leakage rates. Application of this collected data enables better informed assessment work in the national context, particularly by establishing fine calibrated emissions models, which serve as a path for tailoring and prioritizing of further policy measures as part of National Cooling Action Plans (NCAPs), national GHG inventories under UNFCCC and Kigali Implementation Plans (KIPs). Participants will receive an overview of the best practices of national databases implementation in several countries to learn about ways for data-driven policy making. 

Contact:

Barbara Gschrey                      

b.gschrey@oekorecherche.de

Title: Cooling in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)

Description: Since 2016, the number of countries including HFCs in their NDC GHG mitigation target has more than doubled, from 51 to 105. Nearly 90% of the parties that include HFCs in their NDC target also have ratified the Kigali Amendment. Despite the commitment to phase down HFCs, only 17 countries include a specific HFC target or assessment of mitigation potential. While 12 of these have ratified the Kigali Amendment, these countries represent less than 10% of all parties that have ratified the Kigali Amendment and submit their NDC to the UNFCCC. Additionally, in 2023 just 27% of countries identify HFC mitigation measures. This side event will invite experts and countries on How to Include Targeted Cooling Measures to Support countries' NDCs Economy-Wide Target.

Contact:

Denise San Valentin     

denise.sanvalentin@un.org