Monday, 04 November 2019
Facing the Challenge, China in Action
Time Description Venue
13:00
Organizer: Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China​
 
Description:
The session intends to exchange views with Parties and other stakeholders on how to address the challenge of unexpected CFC-11 increase, introduce China’s actions taken and its future plans in response to the challenge. ODS phase-out and management measures taken by the enterprises and ODS production sector verification will also be presented during the session.​
Room: Iran (100)
Sound ODS/HFC waste management and disposal
Time Description Venue
13:00
Organizer: UNDP and GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit)​​

Description: When fluorinated chemicals no longer fulfil their purpose, they should be responsibly managed through recycling/reclamation for productive use where possible and permitted. Otherwise, they need to be properly disposed of, so they don’t pollute the environment and harm human environmentally sound destruction or conversion such that harmful properties are eliminated. Many fluorinated compounds have either or both ozone depleting and global warming potential. Despite the huge success of the Montreal Protocol in phasing-out the production and consumption of ozone depleting substances (ODS), a significant amount of ODS are still found in banks of refrigeration equipment and insulation foams. These substances have high global warming potential and will negatively contribute to climate change if appropriate disposal measures are not taken.


ODS Banks are defined as the “total amount of substances contained in existing equipment, chemical stockpiles, foams and other products not yet released to the atmosphere” (IPCC/TEAP, 2005). In 2016, the ODS bank were estimated to equal to 9.2 Gt CO₂eq and that the annual emissions from the global ODS bank were estimated to amount to 1.5 Gt CO₂eq (GIZ).
With the financing from the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol (MLF), in a number of countries implemented pilot demonstration projects on ODS waste management and destruction disposal. The side event, co-hosted by UNDP and GIZ, aims to disseminate the results and lessons learnt from several pilot and demonstration projects undertaken by UNDP to interested parties.  Additionally, a Panel of authorities will offer thoughts on the technological, operational and financial barriers that must be addressed for a sustainable long-term global solution to this issue is found.

 
Room: Austria (100)
The Australian Food Cold Chain: Identifying Issues and Implementing Improvements
Time Description Venue
13:00
Organizer: Australian Government Department of the Environment and Energy

Description: As part of its effort to meet the goal of halving food waste by 2030, Australia is taking action to assess and reduce its food waste through a nationally coordinated strategy that brings together the Australian Government, state governments, industry and NGOs.  As part of this effort, there is a focus on the food cold chain – better understanding its characteristics and how it can be transformed to reduce food loss.

This side event will be chaired by Patrick McInerney of the Australian Government and will have two main speakers.

Dr Greg Picker – Executive Director, Refrigerants Australia.  Greg will briefly outline the policy approaches to food waste in Australia, as well as detail the preliminary outcomes of a report focused on the food cold chain. The presentation will describe the characteristics of the food cold chain including its environmental footprint.  Additionally, he will detail assessments of the greenhouse gas emissions from food waste and areas identified where the performance of the food cold chain can be significantly, and cost effectively, improved.

Mark Mitchell – Chairman, Australian Food Cold Chain Council.  Mark will provide a practitioner’s view of the Australian food cold chain.  He will explain how it is designed and where – and why – it fails.  He will explain industry’s view that significant issues in the cold food chain can largely be resolved through better use of current technologies and improved practice and procedures.  He will outline steps currently underway that are intended to dramatically improve the performance of the Australian food cold chain.
Room: Sheikh Zayed (170)
Cold Chain Reaction: How effective and climate-friendly cold chains can contribute to a better world
Time Description Venue
18:00
Organizer: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit​

Description: Sustainable cold chains are placed at the intersection between the Montreal Protocol, the Paris Agreement and the SDGs. By introducing uninterrupted cold chains for foods and medicines alike, using natural refrigerants with a very low global warming potential, energy efficient appliances and easy to use equipment such as SolarChill refrigerators for off-grid regions, the climate, the health and wellbeing of people and the local economy can profit. The side event aims to serve as a discussion platform on how climate-friendly cold chains can improve food security and public health. An additional focus will concern sustainable financing mechanisms to ensure equitable access to cold chain equipment. 
Room: Iran (100)
Refrigerant Driving License (RDL): An important element of a smooth (and safe) refrigerant transition
Time Description Venue
18:00
Organizer: Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) and United Nations Environment Programme​

Description: The Refrigerant Driving License (RDL) is an international training  program led by AHRI and United Nations Environment-OzonAction with the support of key HVAC&R industry associations i.e. ASHRAE, ABRAVA, the Alliance, EPEE, AREA, JRAIA, ACAIRE and Refrigerant Australia. The program is an industry-led qualification program to offer benchmarking tool for safe and sound handling of refrigerants by different practitioners in field understanding the dynamics that industry is passing through due to global policies and commitments especially in relation to the Montreal Protocol. The RDL program is supported by the MLF of the Montreal Protocol, through UNEP-OzonAction, where the program will be piloted and examined for wider enrollment to interested parties starting 2020 . Grenada, the Maldives, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Surinam and Trinidad and Tobago are the pioneers in piloting the RDL program and several RDL sessions already conducted in the six countries. This session intend to offer information about the RDL program and its operation along with feedback and evaluation by the pilot countries. The session also serves to highlight the value and necessity of training AC technicians especially because of the move, under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, to alternative refrigerants that can be flammable or toxic.
Room: Sheikh Zayed (170)