Title: Championing Sustainable Cooling towards a Cool COP28                                                                                                                

Description: Recognizing the adaptation and mitigation benefits of sustainable cooling, the COP28 UAE Presidency is spearheading the Global Cooling Pledge with support from the UNEP-led Cool Coalition. The Global Cooling Pledge can serve as a step toward catalyzing global and national cooling sector actions that also support the achievement of SDG 7, SDG 13, NDC targets, and the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. By achieving the Global Cooling Pledge, the climate benefits can be doubled while mitigating 60% of cooling-related GHG emissions – or 62 billion tonnes equivalent between 2022-2050. It will also improve access to cooling for resilience to rising heat, greater food security, and local development.
 
This side-event “Championing Sustainable Cooling towards a Cool COP28”, organized by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) COP28 Presidency, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the UNEP-led Cool Coalition, the U.S. State Department (TBC) – aims to build momentum for global action and increased ambition on sustainable cooling by mobilizing countries to join the Global Cooling Pledge. The event will include high-level interventions from countries, industry and international financial institutions on their actions on sustainable cooling and their perspectives on the Global Cooling Pledge ahead of COP28.

Contact:

Shikha Bhasin shikha.bhasin@un.org

Clement Charnaillat clement.charnaillat@un.org

Deepa Solanki deepa.solanki@un.org

Title: A review of current understanding of HFC-23 emissions and contributing source processes

Description: This side event will review our current understanding of the atmospheric abundance and emission of HFC-23 and how they have changed in recent years. It will also include a discussion of the processes leading to the production and emission of HFC-23. The information provided will stem primarily from the recent Science Assessment Panel and Technology and Economic Assessment Panel Reports, with some scientific updates, where appropriate.

Contacts:

Stephen Montzka & Nick Campbell

stephen.a.montzka@noaa.gov

nickjcampbell@hotmail.com

Title: PFAS, F-gas and persistence: a closer look 

Description: Following the successful event at the UN OEWG 45, ATMOsphere invites delegates and observers to deep dive once more into the universe of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also called 'forever chemicals', and fluorinated gases. The PFAS Restriction Intention presented by five European countries extends to fluorinated gases under the purview of the Montreal Protocol. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are numerous, yet they share some common hazards that allow their group assessment. Persistence is a common denominator across all these substances. But why is persistence a concern, and why should we act before is too late? This ATMOsphere Network will shed light on the topic, allowing delegates and observers attending MOP 35 to learn from and exchange with experts in the field: Prof. Ian Cousins from Stockholm University, and Prof. Arp from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology will join experts from ATMOsphere and the Green Cooling Initiative to discuss related problems and possible solutions. 

Contact:

Thomas Trevisan                

thomas.trevisan@atmosphere.cool

Title: Technician qualification and formal certification in the cooling sector. The pathway from setting up certification schemes to practical implementation

Description: Technician training and certification plays an important role in the RAC sector in enhancing the skill level of the work force and ensuring emission prevention as well as safe handling of cooling equipment, especially when switching to environment-friendly alternatives to F-gases.  

The side event will provide an overview on vocational training schemes and other training options for RAC technicians in Cool Up countries and underline the relevance of a formal certification system. From the industry's side, practical aspects will be illustrated where requirements concerning technician certification, skills, good practice are crucial to satisfy the operators and consumers expectations especially when it comes to the reliability of the cold chain. On the implementation of certification schemes, the side event will provide insights into the requirements for training and certification set by the current EU F-gas Regulation and the revision proposal. Further, recent advancements on the establishment of minimum requirements in the RAC sector achieved in Türkiye will be presented. The event will conclude with a developing country perspective from Africa, showcasing the challenging pathway towards formal certification in cooling. 

The Cool Up programme promotes accelerated technological change and early implementation of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol and Paris Agreement in four partner countries: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Türkiye. Cool Up is part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment. 

Contact:

Felix Heydel           

felix.heydel@oekorecherche.de

Title: Women in Refrigeration    

Description: We know that the refrigeration sector tends to underestimate the capacities of women, and that many times their contributions are minimized because they are considered to be poorly trained to face the challenges of this important productive sector. But, in the RBV, training spaces are created so that women feel valued and taken into account, because the visibility of their eco-industrial contributions has a stamp of irreversibility.

Contact:

Indira Villafaña

presidenciafondoin@gmail.com

Title: RAC servicing sector readiness for low-GWP, energy-efficient and circularity in cooling

Description: The cooling sector is projected to witness manyfold growth in India in the coming decades. With multiple technological transitions underway, market and policies are being geared to deliver sustainable cooling while responding to increasing need and demand for thermal comfort.  
To continue maintaining sustainablity gains in cooling, good servicing is a key aspect during the operational and post-operational life of cooling products. Lifecycle refrigerant management and keeping energy consumption close to designed efficiency are two important objectives served by servicing and maintenance. 

In furtherance of global climate goals, therefore, this side-event will be used to discuss how RAC service technicians' capacity can be enhanced through training and certification, awareness building and smart technology.  

Contact:

Himanshu Dixit      

himanshu.dixit@ceew.in