Events and Exhibitions
KEY PROGRESS MADE
IN SA HFC PHASE-DOWN
By John Ackermann
A two-day workshop in Cape Town brought together industry and
government representatives and stakeholders to discuss opportunities in
phasing down HFCs under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.
T
he number of delegates at the opening far exceeded all
expectations to the extent that the conference room at the
Premier Hotel in Sea Point was cramped.
In March 2018, Cape Town was about to become the
world’s first city to have zero potable water. There was panic
and many contingency plans were made. How would zero
refrigerant day impact on modern life whether it occurred in
2030 or 2050 or 2080?
In short, many foods would not be available, no deep level
mining, no operations in hospital theatres, no vaccine distribution,
no international trade in perishables, no mortuaries, no ice for
those drinks, so on and so on. Although essential for human life
and for the economy, cooling and the refrigerants used negatively
impact on the environment.
The delegates were from national and provincial government
departments (labour, education, energy, environmental, SARS),
refrigerant suppliers, contactors, media, South African Bureau of
Standards (SABS), a strong foreign delegation, United Nations
Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), training providers,
SARACCA, equipment suppliers and a large contingent from the convenors, Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
(DAFF) previously Department of Environmental Affairs.
The opening was done by deputy director in DAFF, Mark
Gordon. He shared steps that the DEA will take to implement
the Kigali Agreement stating that the Montreal Protocol (MP) is
the best example of what can be achieved when people come
together, specifically, the role of collective effort which results
in coming up with new ideas and innovations. Said Gordon,
“Implementation will require plans and surveys to establish the
HFC baseline in 2024. Partnerships are vital for implementation of
the Kigali Agreement.”
Yury Sorokin from UNIDO said that the MP provides
sustainable solutions to protecting the ozone layer. Once a
decision has been made, efforts must be made to make it happen.
According to him, the MP also became its own victim as each
new refrigerant introduced with a zero Ozone Depletion Potential
(ODP) created further problems as many of the alternatives
added to global warming. “South Africa has been the most
efficient country in the implementation of the MP and largely due
to the close involvement of government and industry. It has been
a pleasure to monitor the progress made in this regard during the
last 10 years,” said Sorokin.
The two-day workshop was hailed a success by organisers. Margaret Molefe from DAFF said that under the Kigali
Amendment, South Africa needs to address the problem
created by manmade HFCs. “Some HFCs emitted 14 800 tonnes
of greenhouse gases as that of CO 2 and needed to be phased
down. All parties including South Africa have accepted the Kigali
Amendment. There are no rules adequately in place in South
Africa to prepare for the phase-down of HFCs. The country
needs to design a system to provide certainty to meet its Kigali
Amendment obligation.”
Agustin Sanchez-Guevara, national coordinator, ozone
protection unit in Mexico, clarified that HFCs will be phased
down and not phased out as with HCFCs. “South Africa
and Mexico are far ahead in the implementation of the
Hydrochlorofluorocarbons Phase-out Management Plan
WORKSHOP OVERVIEW
SOUTH AFRICA AND THE KIGALI AGREEMENT
16
RACA Journal I March 2020
www.hvacronline.co.za