The Ozone Panel, which has been organized every year for more than 20 years in cooperation with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Climate Change Presidency, was held on 29 December 2022 in İstanbul with the subject of "HFC Phase-Down Schedule and Transition to Alternatives", based on the start of the phase-down schedule of the use of Hydrofluorocarbons (HFC).
22. Ozone Panel’s opening speeches were given by the UNIDO Turkey Representative, Mr. Süleyman Yılmaz, and the Climate Change President, Mr. Orhan Solak. In his speeches, Mr. Solak stated that the phase-down of HFCs, which started with the Kigali Amendment, which Turkiye ratified on November 10, 2021, will contribute 0.5 degrees to the global climate change targets. He also stated that it is aimed to continue joint productive works for the phase-down of HFCs, as in the past, for the phase-out of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS)
Mr. Yılmaz mentioned in his speeches the joint work of UNIDO and the Ministry of Environment, Urbanism and Climate Change and Climate Change Presidency since the 1990s, and stated that UNIDO will also support the phase-down of HFCs.
After the Head of the Department of Monitoring Greenhouse Gas Emissions of the Climate Change Presidency, Mr. Volkan Polat's presentations on Turkey's HFC phase-down schedule and the importance of alternatives, representatives of TOBB Turkey Air Conditioning Council, SOSIAD, ISKID and ISKAV gave their presentations on the status of the sector and the steps required in the transition process, energy efficiency, safety standards in the use of alternatives and the importance of competent personnel.
In the last section of the program, the moderator of the panel, Mr.Hayati Can, the Chairman of SOSIAD. Mr. Can also touched upon the relationship of the HFC phase-down schedule with green transformation and carbon border adjustment. In this context, the program, where discussions were held on incentive and control mechanisms, practices and certification processes in the European Union, and application examples in the field, ended successfully with the participation of the speakers.
The Montreal Protocol began life as a global agreement to protect the ozone layer and has become one of the most successful environmental agreements to date. In short, substances that deplete the ozone layer, known as ODS, are gradually phased-out all over the world, and as a result of global efforts in this regard, the depletion of the ozone layer is improved and human health, economy and ecosystems are protected in return. The Montreal Protocol does much more than is known, such as slowing climate change and helping to increase energy efficiency in the refrigeration sector, which contributes to food security.
The Kigali Amendment, which is under the Montreal Protocol, contributes to the efforts to combat climate change by targeting the gradual phase-down of the production and consumption of Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) due to the high greenhouse gas effects.
The Kigali Amendment will also enable the improvement of energy efficiency in the refrigeration sector, providing the opportunity to redesign the air conditioning and cooling systems to consume less power, with alternative technologies to be used instead of Hydrofluorocarbons, and will allow to increase comfort cooling and cold chain efficiency without increasing the negative effects of climate change. Reducing the consumption of these gases and increasing the cold chain efficiency are also struggling with food loss, especially in developing economies.
While our country continues to protect the ozone layer by committing to phase-down of the production and consumption of fluorinated greenhouse gases with the Montreal Protocol Kigali Amendment, like all parties, it continues to increase its contribution to the fight against climate change in line with the Montreal Protocol and the Paris Agreement.
