Interview for Italians

3-Trigger international momentum about new technologies use through wider partnership and supporting the voluntary actions around the world.
UNEP has promoted the voluntary actions that help the ozone layer protection as well as safe guard the climate system among the multi-nationals like Coca Cola, Unilever and McDonalds. They have been encouraged to get the technical and economic feasibility of the use of hydrocarbon and CO2 using technologies and encourage their suppliers to develop the equipment. This voluntary initiative has already produced substantial results. McDonald’s has commissioned its first restaurant in the Denmark that uses the refrigeration technologies that are environment friendly and energy efficient.
It is clear that industry have started realising that environment friendliness does not add the cost. In fact it improves the economics and financial operation of the business. Environemnt Friendly technologies are win-win options. UNEP has been promoting these concepts among the developing countries.
2. What are your comments on the problem of the emissions of the refrigerants and the coming European Regulations?
he XI European Conference have become increasingly importantCurrent Regulations on refrigerants’ adverse effects.
Scientific researches demonstrated that CFCs, HCFCs and certain other gases used for refrigeration, air-conditioning and other industrial applications had adverse effects on the ozone layer. If these refrigerants remain in the refrigeration cycle without the release to the atmosphere the problem of the impact on the atmosphere –like ozone layer depletion- would not have surfaced. But the refrigeration systems are not leak proof. And the emissions of these gases do occur. Hence, in order to protect the ozone layer, the International Community decided to phase out those depleting substances and to replace them by non-ozone depleting chemicals. The Montreal Protocol was therefore signed by nearly 181 countries in the world and national legislations were enacted accordingly.
The European Community recently adopted the Regulation (EC) 2037/2000 (replacing and completing the gaps of the former Regulation (EC) 3093/94) and its amendment 2039/2000 to ensure compliance with the Montreal Protocol. Under this regulation, the production, consumption, sale and use for servicing and maintenance of CFCs is banned. HCFCs production, consumption and use are also controlled under this Regulation 2037/2000 the aim of which is to keep to a minimum the emissions of refrigerants by preventing leaks and stopping ventilating to the atmosphere.
New impacts on environment.