ODS destruction/recovery technologies

Efforts by the Asian giant to reduce HCFC and HFC consumption will move the global HVAC&R market, according to the European Commission.

The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol will help increase investment in natural refrigerant technologies, according to the French government.

On 1 January 2017, the island country increased its synthetic greenhouse gas (SGG) levy rates for imported goods and vehicles by 295.5% compared to the previous year.

The FSB-drafted guidelines emerge as the legal imperative increases for large companies to disclose the business impact of climate change.

Despite figures that suggest Europe is within the F-gas phase down limits, concerns remain that industry is failing to switch fast enough to low GWP refrigerants.

It isn’t often that atmospheric chemists get to help save the world, but Guus Velders had his chance in October. He was attending inter­national negotiations in Kigali, Rwanda, that were seeking to phase out production and use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), extremely potent greenhouse gases commonly used in air conditioners.

The “natural” refrigerants media group Shecco has called for a far more stringent agreement on HFC refrigerant phase downs than that achieved at Kigali.

The production, import and export of fluorinated gases (F-gases) fell in the European Union last year, according to a new report published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) today. F-gases are mainly used in cooling and heating equipment. Since they have a high global warming potential, phasing down HFCs is critical to global efforts to fight climate change.

Decision XXVII/6 on potential areas of focus for the 2018 quadrennial reports of the Scientific Assessment Panel, the Environmental Effects Assessment Panel and the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel, adopted at the Twenty-Seventh Meeting of the Parties in November 2015, requests the three assessment panels to prepare quadrennial assessment reports in 2018, to submit them to the Secretariat by 31 December 2018 for consideration by the Open-ended Working Group and by the Thirty-First Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol in 2019. A synthesis report of the three Assessment Panels will be made available by 30 April 2019.

During the official opening ceremony of the Caribbean Ozone Officers’ Network Meeting, held at the Radisson Aquatica Hotel, Bridgetown, Barbados, Marco Pinzon, the Regional Network Coordinator, OzonAction, United Nations Environment, Regional Office for Latin America (UNEP-ROLAC) reminded persons present that it has been over 30 years since Governments agreed to protect the ozone layer and to phase out the ozone depleting substances, noting that it will be a challenge to do so, because the potent and harmful chemicals are used in a variety of applications, but are mainly seen in the refrigeration and air conditioning sectors.

On December 5, 2016, CRC Canada Co., located in Mississauga, Ontario, was sentenced in the Ontario Court of Justice and was ordered to pay $225,000 after pleading guilty to two counts of contravening the Ozone-Depleting Substances Regulations, 1998 under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA). The fine will be directed to the Environmental Damages Fund (EDF).

The 77th meeting of the Executive Committee of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol was held at the headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organization, Montreal, Canada, from 28 November to 2 December 2016.

The Customs and Excise division of the Ministry of Finance and Treasury, alongside the National Ozone Unit- Energy Division within the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification has seized imports of five cylinders of R12 gas.

Shortly after last month’s global agreement to phase down HFCs, Canada has tabled proposals to reduce its production and imports of these greenhouse gases.

In October, almost 200 nations agreed to an amendment of the Montreal Protocol that will see the emissions of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a type of greenhouse gas used in fridges, air conditioning units and aerosols, phased out. This one action is expected to reduce global temperature rise by the end of the century by 0.5°C, a third of the 1.5°C cap agreed under the Paris Agreement.

22 November 2016: Since the Paris Agreement entered into force on 4 November 2016, an additional 12 Parties to the UNFCCC have deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession to the Paris Agreement, bringing the total number of Parties that have joined the Agreement to 113. The UNFCCC, which is a nearly universal treaty, has 197 Parties.

As the UN Climate Change Conference came to a close in Marrakech, after two weeks of inclusive and positive negotiations and hundreds of activities and side-events featuring Heads of State and Government, delegations and participants from around the world, COP22 President Salaheddine Mezouar and Steering committee members held a press conference to take stock on outcomes and achievements.

This short guide provides a brief summary of what to expect if your business/premises is selected for an Inspection by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) and Fluorinated Greenhouse Gas (F-Gas) Regulations.

His campaign statements suggest the EPA’s HFC restrictions could be slowed down, impacting CO₂ uptake, but industry support of the Kigali Amendment could make HFCs a low priority.

Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, 10 November 2016 – Heads of national refrigeration assocations and Montreal Protocol focal points from 11 Central Asian and Caucasus countries enhance ozone layer protection and sustainable management of climate gases: The experts shared highlights, challenges and lessons learnt from the implementation of their respective hydrochlorofluoro carbon (HCFC) phase-out strategies and from the surveys on ozone-friendly alternatives during the thematic meeting in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, 8-10 November 2016.