IIR calls for move to low GWP gases

POLAND: The International Institute of Refrigeration has urged for the adoption of low GWP refrigerants despite no agreement on an HFC phase-down at last week’s UN Climate Change Conference in Warsaw.

While supporters of moves to amend the Montreal Protocol to include HFCs repeated their requests, India stuck by its stance at the recent Montreal Protocol meeting that HFCs should be managed within the framework of the Convention on Climate Change.

The collapse of talks brought criticism from green groups and others backing a worldwide phase-down.

“Addressing HFCs under the Montreal Protocol would provide real results in the short term, with more than 2 billion metric tons of CO2 equivalent emissions avoided by 2020,” said Danielle Gagne, an HFC and climate policy analyst with the Environmental Investigation Agency.

“Blocking action to phase out HFCs under the Protocol is a missed opportunity for near-term greenhouse gas mitigation; real action has been sacrificed for negotiating tactics,” she added.

In a statement at the meeting, IIR director Didier Coulomb called for compulsory action to favour low-GWP refrigerants, especially natural ones.

“Efficient solutions already exist or will soon be developed for most applications under various climatic conditions” the IIR said in its statement.

Didier Coulomb also called for improvements in refrigerant containment and recovery.

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