It is a truly vital , dynamic , and rapidly growing field that represents a significant source of high-quality employment worldwide . However , this sector has the potential to contribute even more by increasing the number of women in its ranks at all levels and types of jobs , which include diverse professions ranging from CEOs to professors , from engineers to servicing technicians , just to name a few .

To help accelerate this process , a new initiative called the International Network for Women in Cooling ( INWIC ) has been launched to advance the engagement of women , promote career opportunities , and increase their overall participation in the sector , which includes refrigeration , airconditioning

, and heat pumps ( RACHP ). INWIC is led by the World Refrigeration Day ( WRD ) Secretariat and the United Nations Environment Programme ( UNEP ) OzonAction in cooperation with a highly-reputed group of founding partners , all of whom are active in this area – AIRAH ( Australia ), AREA ( Europe ), ASHRAE ( Global ), CAR ( China ), FAIAR ( Latin America ), IIR ( Global ), IOR ( UK ), ISHRAE ( India ), JSRAE ( Japan ), U-3ARC ( Africa ), and Women in HVAC & R ( North America ).

Although women make up half of the world ’ s population , they are significantly and visibly under-represented in the RACHP sector in all roles . INWIC seeks to reverse that trend . It is doing so while recognising that there are many excellent initiatives and structures established by different partners that are promoting women ’ s engagement in the RACHP field .

However , more cooperation and information exchange at the global level is needed to link these individual efforts and make them even more meaningful and impactful , especially in developing countries .

There are over 300 national , regional , and international associations , organisations , and institutions in the RACHP sector , however initial research indicates that fewer than 20 ( 5 %) of these have sections specifically for women . Corresponding data indicates that where these women ’ s sections do exist ,

there is a greater number of women who are actively involved in the committees and structures of these bodies , which in turn increases the opportunities to raise the visibility of women in the sector .

“’ You can ' t be what you can ' t see !’ There are not enough visible ' women in cooling ’ role models . We want to change that ,” said Stephen Gill – head of WRD Secretariat . “ We will create a resource for girls and young women to see bite-size videos and read reallife stories from a diverse range of women in different roles within the cooling sector . This will also serve to connect and inspire women currently working in the cooling sector .”

INWIC will connect women in this predominantly male sector , empowering them to succeed through networking opportunities , mentoring , education , to shine as visible role models to change outdated perceptions to leave a lasting legacy to inspire the next generation of women innovators and problem-solvers . It will also offer an opportunity to individual women , especially from developing countries , to get access to experiences and career development opportunities in the field that would otherwise be inaccessible to them .

This initiative contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals : Gender equality for women , including equality of opportunity .

Improving livelihoods through job creation and employment . Making cities and people ’ s lives more sustainable . Climate adaptation and mitigation .

Regarding the latter , one of INWIC ’ s important roles is to serve as a platform to promote environmental stewardship as part of the cooling profession . This includes , among other issues , proper and safe management of refrigerants like HFCs , HCFCs , hydrocarbons and new alternatives .

“ The cooling sector is critical for achieving environmental objectives , including the continued success of the Montreal Protocol and for addressing climate change . If they are to meet their compliance obligations , countries need a strong , vibrant , and inclusive cooling sector ,” said James Curlin – Head of UNEP OzonAction . “ Women represent a tremendous , largely untapped source of innovation and skills for this sector , and they need to be actively engaged if we are to solve the great environmental challenges of our time . INWIC seeks to do just that .”

In the next few months , INWIC founding partners will introduce several programs that directly support individual women and young girls to further engage and find opportunities that can support the advancement of their careers , the attraction to cooling education disciplines , and active engagement with the cooling community . CLA