47th meeting of the Open-ended Working Group of the Parties

Title: Cooling Systems Emissions from Data Centres

Description: Several thousand large-scale data centres exist worldwide, with around 67 million hosted servers. High-GWP HFCs are widely used in the cooling and air conditioning equipment in data centres, including R-134a and R-410A due to their non-flammable properties. The growth in the demand for HFCs may put the compliance of countries at risk and reverse the good progress already achieved under the Montreal Protocol in the mitigation of ozone-depleting and high-GWP refrigerants.
 
This event will enhance the understanding of the Montreal Protocol community on issue, share information on sustainable cooling solutions for data centres and highlight available tools and resources to avoid the increase in demand for HFCs across the data centres sector.

Contact: Denise San Valentin      

denise.sanvalentin@un.org

Title: The Refrigerant Transition: Market Trends and Policy Outlook

Description: As countries implement the Kigali Amendment, this session brings together industry leaders to discuss the refrigerant transition. Discussion topics will include market readiness, technology options, regulatory standards, safety standards, and others.

Contact: Samantha Slater  

sslater@ahrinet.org

Title: Enhancing energy efficiency while phasing down HFCs: Decisions by the Executive Committee

Description: In this side event, the Multilateral Fund (MLF) Secretariat will share information on the decisions taken by the Executive Committee regarding maintaining and enhancing energy efficiency in replacement technologies while phasing down HFCs, and on the funding windows that have been established for energy efficiency-related activities. The session will provide an opportunity for Article 5 countries to ask questions about the decisions, funding windows, and the preparation of energy efficiency-related projects for manufacturing and other non-manufacturing activities for the consideration of the Executive Committee. The session will also provide an opportunity to engage with colleagues from the MLF Secretariat and from bilateral and implementing agencies, who will also participate to further discussion and insights.

Contact: Kaleen McNamara  

kaleen.mcnamara@un.org

Title: The Accra-Helsinki Group History, Nitrous Oxide, and Preliminary Insights on Pathways to Prevent Environmental Dumping in Latin America and the Caribbean
 

Description: This event, co-hosted with the Climate & Clean Air Coalition; Facilitator/Rapporteur: Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development, will enhance the understanding of the Montreal Protocol community of the roles of Accra-Helsinki Group, and its predecessors, in particular the Toronto and Stockholm Groups, as informal incubators and discussion forums on new topics and ideas contributing to the evolution of the Vienna Convention and its Montreal Protocol. The Accra-Helsinki Group is open to all members of the Montreal Protocol community.

This side event will also share, for participant consideration and discussion, scientific and governance information on nitrous oxide relevant to the Montreal Protocol, as well as on transitioning climate-vulnerable developing country markets to next-generation cooling equipment, including preliminary insights from the forthcoming report on pathways to stop the dumping of inefficient air conditioners in the Latin America and Caribbean region.

Future sessions of the Accra-Helsinki Group will take into consideration topics raised at this side event or directly with the co-chairs.

Contacts: 

Tapio Reinikainen (Co-Chair)   

tapio.reinikainen@syke.fi

Kofi Agyarko (Co-Chair)

kofiagyarko@gmail.com

Title: Cool Tools for Cool NDCs: Estimate the Emission Impact of your KIP and Report on HFC Emissions (Mitigation)

Description: The signatory states to the Paris Climate Agreement have committed to adjusting their national climate targets (NDCs) in five-year cycles in order to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. This year, countries are obliged to update their NDCs. GIZ Proklima aims to support its partner countries and others in introducing the cooling sector into their NDCs. Why? Because it is known from international studies that the refrigeration and air conditioning sector is responsible for up to 10% of all global greenhouse gas emissions!

GIZ Proklima, in cooperation with external experts, therefore developed a series of mini modules introducing practical tools and methodologies that make reporting on mitigation action easier. In the side event the three mini modules will be presented on: Exemplary Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system for a mitigation action in the cooling sector; HFC Emission Baseline Tool to estimate a KIP's impact on HFC emissions; and Including HFC Emissions in National Inventory Reports - Tier 1 Approach, highlighting the updated IPCC software.

Contact: Kerstin Kress 

kerstin.kress@giz.de

Title: Sustainable Cooling Technologies and Future Opportunities for Cooling Transformation

Description: The demand for cooling is rapidly increasing globally, driven by factors such as rising temperatures due to climate change, urbanisation, and economic growth. This surge in cooling demand presents significant challenges related to energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, particularly from conventional cooling technologies that rely on hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), potent greenhouse gases controlled under the Montreal Protocol.

To mitigate these adverse impacts, there is an urgent need to promote and adopt sustainable cooling technologies that are both energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. This side event at the 47th Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG47) of the Montreal Protocol aims to showcase the potential of alternative cooling technologies, specifically focusing on R-290 based commercial refrigeration, energy efficiency enhancements in the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (RAC) sector, and evaporative cooling solutions. The event will also explore future opportunities for the transformation of the cooling sector towards more sustainable practices.

Contact: Viktoriia Kotlubei       

v.kotlubei@unido.org