Page 14 - Climate Control News September 2022

Refrigerants
HFC UPDATE
The federal government will provide an update on the HFC phase down and regulations relating to refrigerants in next month’s edition of CCN magazine.
The director of the ozone and climate protection section in the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, Patrick McInerney, will provide the regulatory update.
McInerney will outline possible future bans on HFC equipment and measures to encourage equipment owners to have their refrigerant and air conditioning equipment properly installed and regularly serviced.
McInerney is well known in the industry, he has led Australia’s delegation to Montreal Protocol meetings since 2003. He co-chaired negotiations for the HFC phase down which was introduced through the 2016 Kigali Amendment.
World Ozone Day
celebrations
APAC OZONE ACTION
After two years of liaising on computer screens as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Asia Pacific ozone officers finally met in person for the first time in Bangkok, Thailand.
The meeting was organized by UNEP’s OzonAction Asia-Pacific Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP) team with financial support from the Montreal Protocol’s Multilateral Fund.
It was held back-to-back with the 44th Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG44) and the 5th Extraordinary Meeting of
the Parties to the Montreal Protocol (ExMOP5).
More than 100 participants attended from 26 countries including representatives from Australia.
Head of OzonAction, Jim Curtin said the event demonstrated the resilience and results-based approach of the national ozone officers in the face of challenging times.
“The high quality of the discourse during the meeting proved that the countries of the Asia-Pacific Regional Networks continue to march forward with dedication to meet their compliance objectives with the Montreal Protocol,” he said.
“They are all inspiring examples of how members of this multilateral agreement can adapt and work creatively to deliver on their commitments.”
WORLD OZONE DAY CELEBRATIONS KICK OFF ON 16 SEPTEMBER, 2022.
THE THEME FOR the 2022 Interna- tional Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer is Montreal Protocol@35: global cooperation protecting life on earth.
The theme recognises the wider impact the Montreal Protocol has on climate change and the need to act in collaboration, forge partnerships and develop global cooperation to address cli- mate challenges and protect life on earth for future generations.
Australia has played a leading role in the region to help Pacific Island neighbours phase out remaining HCFCs.
Earlier this year a long list of representatives from Australia met with ozone officers from Pacific Island countries including the Cook Islands, Kiri- bati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Fiji and Papua New Guinea.
Representatives from the Government of Aus- tralia, the Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturers Association (AREMA) of Australia, and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction Compliance
Assistance Programme (CAP), came together to discuss the phase out management plan.
Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are sub- stances controlled under the Montreal Proto- col that are scheduled to be phased out worldwide by 2030.
“AUSTRALIA HAS PLAYED
A LEADING ROLE IN THE REGION TO SUPPORT PACIFIC ISLAND NEIGHBOURS.”
They are commonly used as refrigerant gases in air conditioning and refrigeration appliances, amongst other applications. Their emission to the atmosphere contributes to both the depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer and climate change. All developing coun- tries are actively engaged to phase them out in compliance with their international obliga- tions under the Protocol.
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