The Montreal Protocol is one of the most successful environmental agreements to date as a global agreement to protect the ozone layer. The global effort to phase out ozone-depleting substances means that today the hole in the ozone layer is starting to close and in turn, human health, economies and ecosystems are protected.
Many ozone-depleting substances also contribute to the global warming, so the Montreal Protocol has already made a huge contribution to slowing climate change. Parties are poised to deliver even stronger climate benefits with the Kigali Amendment. Under the amendment, the parties have committed to phase out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) used as refrigerants. Although HFCs do not harm the ozone layer, these refrigerants are known as strong greenhouse gases. Reducing the consumption of these refrigerants is expected to prevent global temperature rise of up to 0.4°C by the end of the century and continue to protect the ozone layer.
World Refrigeration Day is an international awareness campaign launched by the World Refrigeration Day Secretariat to raise the profile of the refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump industry, highlighting the important role that industry and its technology play a significant role in modern life and society. Refrigeration is at the very heart of modern life. It enables people to live, travel and work comfortably and saves lives.
For example, surgeons work in air-conditioned hospitals. Refrigerated vaccines, which have become even more important in today's conditions, are safely delivered to millions of people in need, low-carbon heating solutions (heat pumps) keep people warm, food is delivered in hygienically refrigerated vehicles in safe conditions. Sports are performed on artificially produced ice and snow, and even artists take the stage in air-conditioned halls.
This year, WRD campaign, which is celebrated every year on 26th June since 2019, will focus on careers in the refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat pumps industry and is titled “Cooling Champions: Cool Careers for a Better World” . The goal of the campaign is to inspire students and young professionals – for both men and women – in all countries, encouraging them to meet the challenges faced in their communities.
More than 15 million people are employed worldwide in the refrigeration sector. The total number of refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat-pump systems in operation worldwide is around 5 billion. Those systems provide the conditions we require for health, comfort, worker productivity, manufacturing, and essential environments for food, pharmaceuticals, and digital data. Dedicated professionals design, build, maintain, and regulate them as well as educate a new generation of practitioners.
Opportunities within the industry abound for young people with a wide range of career aspirations. Advanced cooling technologies need to be implemented in order to expand life required environmental conditions while meeting sustainability requirements of international climate and ozone protection accords. A new generation of cooling champions – engineers, technicians, researchers, educators, policy experts and executives – are needed to create controlled environments modern live requires. The benefits of reaching into a wide diversity of communities for promising talent will be a high campaign priority.
In this context, the most important outputs of the studies carried out by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization depend on the fact that the technical personnel who will work in the field have the right training and knowledge.
With the Hydrofluorocarbon Phase-out Management Plan Project (HPMP), equipment support was provided by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization to the "Air Conditioning and Cooling Department" in the Vocational and Technical Schools of the Ministry of National Education in order to have the necessary knowledge and equipment to minimize the emissions of these gases. It is aimed to provide a qualified workforce and create environmental awareness in the sector by using the equipment that is important in the professional lives of the students in these departments and the use by the students in the lessons.
Official website of WRD: worldrefrigerationday.org/
