News

The following stories from Nigeria are extracts from the booklet 'Women in the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry."   ESTHER BAMIWO FUNMILAYO

Bangkok, Thailand, 12 March 2021 ‒ National Ozone Officers from the Pacific Island Countries (PICs) – Cook Islands, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu – as well as representatives from the Government of Australia, a bilateral implementing agency, and

Paris, France, 17 March 2021 – Since the launch of the first World Refrigeration Day (WRD) in the margins of the Second Global Inter-Regional and Parallel Network Meetings for National Ozone Officers in February 2019, UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) OzonAction has been actively engaged as a main partner with the WRD Secretariat to promote this celebratory day for the refrigeration and air conditioning sector.

The OzonAction informal prior informed consent mechanism (iPIC) 2021 annual report provides a concise summary of the operation of iPIC queries in 2020 as well as providing a summary of data from the last decade to show the evolution of the platform and the new features of the upgraded platform. This report is intended to present iPIC’s successes and encourage further usage of the platform both from new users and to inspire current members to further engage in the iPIC process.

UNEP OzonAction released the technical brief on refrigerant cylinder labelling (English, Russian). It is recommended to implement mandatory labelling of refrigerant cylinders prior to the freeze of the HFC consumption at the baseline level. For most developing countries, the HFC freeze will start on 1 January 2024. This technical brief encourages Governments and National Ozone Officers to establish or amend national legislation requiring mandatory labelling of refrigerant cylinders and explains what information should be included in refrigerant cylinder labelling.

Bangkok, Thailand, 10 March 2021 – Under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, all developing countries in Asia-Pacific are effectively phasing out their consumption of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) according to their international commitments.

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction invites you to celebrate International Women’s Day on 8 March 2020. The theme for this year is: “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world”. This celebrates the tremendous efforts by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The following stories from Nicaragua and Niger are extracts from the booklet 'Women in the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry."   ANGELA BARETTO (NICARAGUA) As a freshly graduated architect, I was convinced that I wanted to contribute to a more sustainable future for the built environment. That is why I decided to pursue a master’s degree in environmental design and engineering back in 2011.

Ciudad de Panamá, Panamá, 29 de enero 2021 ‒  El equipo para América Latina del Programa de Asistencia para el Cumplimiento, financiado mediante el Fondo Multilateral para la Aplicación del Protocolo de Montreal,  organizó el evento virtual «Ciencia del Ozono, Cambio Climático y COVID 19», presentado por el doctor José M. Rodríguez, físico experto en la disminución de ozono estratosférico de la Agencia Espacial de los Estados Unidos (NASA).

Ciudad del Saber, Panamá, 15 de enero de 2021 - Acción por el Ozono es un Organismo de Ejecución del Fondo Multilateral (mecanismo financiero del Protocolo de Montreal) que tiene como función fortalecer la capacidad de los gobiernos de los países en desarrollo para que puedan cumplir y mantener sus obligaciones de cumplimiento en virtud del Protocolo de Montreal.

Mbour, Sénégal, 14 janvier 2021 – Le Programme des Nations Unies pour l’Environnement (PNUE) ActionOzone, dans le cadre de son mandat auprès du Fonds multilatéral pour l’application du Protocole de Montréal poursuit son soutien aux actions de formation et de renforcement des capacités dans les pays Article 5, en particulier en Afrique francophone.

The following stories from Namibia are extracts from the booklet 'Women in the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry."   HILMA PANDULENI DAVID I think it important to ensure safe conditions during maintenance, repair, installation and inspection.   I  also encourage young women to take part in vocational training to update their skills.

Ciudad del Saber, Panama, 14 December ‒  Society has changed since the 1960s, and the rights of women, in many aspects, are gradually being taken into consideration. Even in the traditionally male-dominated refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) sector, the number of female engineers, technicians, trainers, practitioners and professors is steadily increasing.

FREE-OF-CHARGE REGISTRATION (https://kgh2020.com/ - USE CHROME OR FIREFOX) 51st International HVAC&R Congress and Exhibition in Belgrade, Serbia, 2-4 December 2020 (virtual event) Technology roundtable on energy-efficient, ozone layer-friendly and climate-friendly technologies of Serbia’s Ministry of Environmental Protection and UNEP OzonAction.

Bangkok, Thailand, 25 November 2020 ‒ Article 5 countries continue to meet their obligations under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. However, they have been facing more challenges with the implementation of this treaty during the COVID-19 crisis. Starting from 1 January 2020, Article 5 countries must phase-out 35% of their hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) baseline consumptions from their HCFC consumption, in conjunction with the need to prepare themselves for the hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) phase-down under the Protocol's Kigali Amendment.

Paris, France, 26 November 2020 ‒ The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction held two very relevant and timely side events as part of the 32nd Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol. Due to the constraints on holding large meetings and travel restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, these side events were held online. Despite these limitations, several excellent speakers participated who ensured the highest quality of these events. The side events covered the following issues:

The following stories from Myamar are extracts from the booklet 'Women in the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry."   KYI KYI PYONE

Beirut, Lebanon, 11 November 2020 ‒ As part of the 4th International ASHRAE Conference on Efficient Building Designs that took place from 5-6 November 2020 in Beirut, Lebanon, organized jointly by ASHRAE and the American University in Beirut (AUB), UN Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction organized a special live session on “Policies and Codes to Enable Compliance with the Montreal Protocol.”

OzonAction is very pleased to announce two exciting side events which will be held as part of the 32nd Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol. Due to the constraints on holding large meetings and travel restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, these side events will be held online. Despite these limitations we have a number of excellent speakers who will ensure the highest quality of these events. The side events cover two very relevant and timely issues.

Bangkok, 22 October 2020 ‒ The Pacific region is renowned for its serene and prestigious islands, including its diverse and rich ecosystems, but that natural and human wealth continues to face the major threat of climate change.

Damascus, Syria, 27 October 2020 ‒ Despite the challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Syrian Arabic Republic continues to honour its commitments under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and is preparing itself for the next phase of this multilateral environmental agreement: the phase down of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are widely used in refrigeration, air conditioning and foam manufacturing.

Following an analysis of HFC baseline scenarios for Article 5 group 1 countries in the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region, it appeared that most countries would not “automatically” meet the HFC freeze in 2024 without putting in place additional HFC policy and legislative measures. If countries allowed a fixed annual HFC growth rate of 10%, the resulting HFC consumptions in 10 out of 11 countries (91%) would exceed the freeze level in 2024.

The following stories from Mexico and Mongolia are extracts from the booklet 'Women in the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry."   MARINA JOSEFINA PEREZ MONTIIEL (MEXICO)

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 24 September 2020 ‒ Africa has witnessed an important milestone by the establishment of the first regional refrigeration and air-conditioning association, the Union of African Associations of Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Actors (U-3ARC).  U-3ARC was registered and launched with the support and membership of local refrig

The ozone layer in the stratosphere absorbs a portion of the sun radiation; therefore, ozone layer depletion has been linked to many harmful effects, including skin cancer, cataracts, and damage to some crops and marine life.