Natural Refrigeration – IIR Ammonia Conference

Such technological innovations have produced many spin-offs.  Such was the intellectual and financial investment in R & D by the refrigeration industry that, it is believed that the number of research papers on the properties of refrigerants and their mixtures far exceeded the number of research papers on any other single sector during the peak period of last decade.  Already, the elimination of CFCs has been considered as the Montreal Protocol’s contribution to mitigating climate change.  By phasing out CFCs, HCFCs and other ozone depleting substances under the Montreal Protocol, more than 5 billion tons equivalent of carbon dioxide has already been eliminated – representing more than 25% of greenhouse gases emissions of 1990.

Further, elimination of use of HFCs from refrigeration application where feasible and the improvement in energy efficiency itself has potential of substantively reducing the emissions of CO2.  According to one estimate, the refrigeration industry engaged in food processing is estimated to globally consume 15% of total electricity generated by power. If we consider 30-50% improvement in energy efficiency by refrigeration – which is achievable – we could sketch a potentially realistic scenario of significantly reducing CO2 emissions through actions by the refrigeration industry.

(SLIDE 4: Refrigeration industry’s potential to meet target of the Kyoto Protocol

The refrigeration industry is setting itself on the path of sustainable development by addressing:
• The social development dimension through increased employment, contributing to the health and well being of the society through food, vaccine and medicine preservation, comfort as well as necessary air conditioning.
• The economic development dimension by making value addition to through ever expanding business of equipment and refrigerants supply, improving energy efficiency and reducing losses of refrigerant,
• The environmental dimension by selecting safe options that minimize the emissions, which do not deplete the ozone layer and that do not enhance climate change.

Power of  partnership : I would like to emphasize the efforts of the industries as well as the governments to promote natural refrigerants. In this context I would like to highlight an initiative of three multinationals –Unilever, Coca Cola and McDonalds – promoted by UNEP and Greenpeace. These food and brewery industries earlier approached UNEP with a classical perfect business proposition:

“Can we just have one solution to the two most critical global environmental challenges facing this world?  Can we contribute to the implementation of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and at the same time contribute to climate change mitigations under the Kyoto Protocol?”