News

In a first, rich countries agree to pay for climate damages in poor nations

Negotiators from nearly 200 countries concluded two weeks of talks early Sunday in which their main achievement was agreeing to establish a fund that would help poor, vulnerable countries cope with climate disasters made worse by the pollution spewed by wealthy nations that is dangerously heating the planet. Read more

Advancing Kigali goals through HVACR - International Special Issue 2022- 2023

Renewable Energy Institute (REI), with support from the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR), The United Nations Environment Programme-OzonAction, (UNEP- OzonAction) and The Air conditioning and Refrigeration European Association (AREA), Ministero Della Transizione Ecologica, have collected experiences from around the world, compiled in this special publication, featuring papers from leading global institutions and experts, addressing the current situation, the challenges ahead, and sharing opinions from different National Ozone Units, on issues related among others to HVAC&R, training, and the role of women in the cooling industry. Read more

GIZ study finds minimal cost difference between use of hydrocarbons and F-gases in split ACs

A study published by the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the German government agency for implementing international cooperation projects, has found that there are minimal technical and cost issues related to the switch from HFCs to low-GWP refrigerants such as hydrocarbons in split air conditioners (ACs). Read more

Montreal Protocol delegates meet again in person for the Thirty-Fourth Meeting of the Parties

Parties and other stakeholders convened for the Thirty-Fourth Meeting of the Parties (MOP34) in Montreal, Canada, from 31 October to 4 November 2022. The Montreal Protocol is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year and being in the birthplace of the Montreal Protocol for the meeting was befitting. The parties concluded their first in-person MOP since the COVID-19 pandemic, with a number of key decisions reached after rounds of lengthy negotiations. Read more

Amid food and climate crises, investing in sustainable food cold chains crucial

Sharm El-Sheikh, 12 November 2022 – As food insecurity and global warming rise, governments, international development partners and industry should invest in sustainable food cold chains to decrease hunger, provide livelihoods to communities, and adapt to climate change, the UN said today. Read more

Kigali Amendment boost for COP27

In a flurry of activity before next week’s COP27 meeting in Egypt, three more countries – Philippines, Nauru and Belarus – have ratified the Kigali Amendment to phase down HFC refrigerants. Read more

EIA cites rising emissions of ozone-depleting gases and HFC-23

The 2022 Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion, from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), has uncovered unexplained emissions of ozone-depleting CFCs (including 13, 112a, 113a, 114a, 115), HCFCs, and carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄), as well as super greenhouse gas HFC-23, according to a new report by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). Read more

R290 cabinets make up 52% of unit sales for polish manufacturer JBG-2

JBG-2, a Polish manufacturer of commercial refrigeration display cases, has seen the market for propane (R290)-based equipment grow significantly over the past few years. Read more

Study reveals challenges for women in RACHP

Role models are seen as key to attracting the next generation of women refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump engineers. Read more

New report: curbing 90 billion tons of super-pollutant emissions aids climate fight

Minimizing refrigerant leaks and maximizing end-of-life recovery and reclamation can avoid fluorocarbon emissions equivalent to 90 billion metric tons of CO₂ this century and help avoid climate catastrophe, according to a new report released today by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development (IGSD), and NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). Read more

Brazil and Zimbabwe approve Kigali Amendment

The number of countries to have approved the Kigali Amendment to phase down HFC refrigerants has grown to 139 with the latest addition of Zimbabwe and Federative Republic of Brazil. Read more

European Parliament member calls for bans on F-gases in refrigeration and ACs from 2024-2027

In an opinion on the revision of the EU F-gas Regulation, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Bas Eickhout calls for greater ambition than the European Commission (EC)’s proposal, through both bans on new refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment with fluorinated gases (HFCs and HFOs) between 2024 and 2027 and a more stringent HFC phase down. Read more

ATMOsphere estimates 55,000 stores using transcritical CO₂ in Europe

Based o a survey of key OEMs, ATMOsphere, publisher of R744.com, estimates that, as of September 2022, there are 55,000 stores with transcritical CO₂ system in Europe, including 50,000 using a centralized system (racks) and 5,000 using condensing units. Read more

Propane heat pump hits new efficiency record

Engineers in Germany developing a propane-based refrigeration circuit for heat pumps are said to have achieved a heating capacity of 12.8kW with only 124g of propane. Read more

‘Stop dumping old kit in our countries’ says African cooling body

Pan-African association U-3ARC warns that ‘environmental dumping’ stifles ability to adopt low-GWP and energy efficient technology Read more