EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
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Kochova , one atom of chlorine can destroy more than 100 000 molecules of ozone ! That is why ODSs are so destructive once released into the atmosphere .
She explained how the rapid ozone decrease was first recognised in 1973 and took guests through the global response to the problem , starting with the Vienna Convention and touching on the
Montreal Protocol , on which she gave more information .
Kochova also talked about UNIDO ’ s role in all this and its cooperation with South Africa , as well as the rest of the world , towards saving the environment .
Durban
She explained what the Multilateral Fund is and touched on the HPMP national plans . Her talk also gave a breakdown of the various phase-out / down schedules and the exemptions from these . Kochova explained the different groupings of countries ( Article 2 versus Article 5 ) and how the timeline is different for these .
She then gave a long list of refrigerationrelated examples of equipment that use refrigerants and that will be affected by the phase out / down . Covering domestic , commercial , and industrial applications , she listed everything from shipping containers to heat pumps .
Debate was lively during the breakaway commissions . Noluzuko Gwayi ( DEA ) asking a question .
Durban
A packed room for the Durban roadshow .
Kochova urged the importance of a national as well as a global response . “ It ’ s not just the work of one country or industry ; everyone has to work together ,” she said .
But it ’ s not just about ozone layer protection anymore . It ’ s about climate change , too . Substances that cause global warming have now also been moved in under the Montreal Protocol ( MP ), she explained .
She showed a very interesting graph depicting the difference between global temperatures under the Kigali Amendment to the MP versus ‘ business as usual ’ where no action is taken . It clearly showed the effect ODSs have on climate change and the importance of the phase down of these substances .
Kochova spoke on where we are going , explaining the journey from CFCs to HCFCs and then to HFCs and a future of alternatives with minimal influence on climate change .
But it ’ s not that easy to simply ‘ switch over ’ to new refrigerants . “ There is no one-fit solution for all countries ,” she said . “ Each country is unique and has its own challenges .”
New refrigerants come with new challenges . From availability and costeffectiveness to toxicity and flammability . But these challenges must be overcome for a ‘ greener ’ environment for all .
Her next few slides looked at ‘ Why are we doing all this ?’ “ Because it affects everyone as a whole ; it affects all life and ecosystems ,” said Kochova . She showed some examples of these negative effects .
She spoke on global warming and the increase of natural disasters .
“ It might seem challenging and complicated when dealing with challenges like these ; it might seem overwhelming . But at the end of the day , we are all part of this ,” she concluded . “ Without a healthy world , we don ’ t have anything healthy .”
Pieter Aucamp , who sits on the global MP Scientific Assessment Panel , commented during the question and answer time that the good news is that the ozone is showing signs of healing . “ For the
1 . Amalia Nangolo of the Namibian National Ozone Unit ( NOU ) spoke about her country ’ s phase-out / down initiatives .
2 . Gerrie Coetzee of the South African Weather Service gave a highly technical talk about his company ’ s work keeping watch over the ozone layer .
3 . Margaret Molefe ( director of hazardous chemical management at DEA ) did a presentation on South Africa ’ s own HPMP and the future of the HFC phase down locally .
4 . Michael Labacher of A-Gas presenting during the Commission 1 breakaway session .
5 . Minky Chauke of DEA who spoke on compliance monitoring , taking attendees through the current structure of the department .
first time we could positively identify that the ozone layer was repairing ,” he said .
F-GAS : A EUROPEAN EXAMPLE
The next speaker of the day was Dr Ina Colombo , deputy director of the International Institute of Refrigeration ( IIR ), who was attending from France . It was also her second time in the country , previously having attended a FRIGAIR in her student days .
Dr Colombo spoke about the importance of refrigeration in the world , explaining the F-Gas regulations and the impact this has had on HFC consumption in Europe . She shared thoughts on what has worked globally and shed some light on how the rest of the world has dealt with the phasing down of HFCs .
She stressed the importance of reducing leaks in refrigeration systems and regular testing for leaks . This led to the topic of training and certification and Dr Colombo explained the requirements under the MP for anyone who works on refrigerant installations to be certified . She touched on the various levels of certification under the F-Gas regulation before moving on to local certification and how this works in South Africa , as governed by SANS10147 .
12 www . coldlinkafrica . co . za COLD LINK AFRICA • September 2018