Our refrigerators and air conditioners can adversely affect climate change and the ozone layer, depending on the substances in their component parts. This dominated discussions on day four of the combined twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (Part II) of the Vienna Convention and thirty-third Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol (COP 12(II)/MOP 33). Convening in the preparatory segment, delegates opened discussions on two draft proposals related to energy-efficient and low-global-warming-potential (low-GWP) technologies.
The first was a targeted decision on harmful dumping of inefficient refrigerant and air conditioning appliances using obsolete refrigerants, submitted by Ghana, for the African Group. Although the draft decision was well received, many said the complex nature of the issues raised in the proposal need “robust” discussion and exchange. Delegations thus opted to postpone further deliberation on this proposal to their next face-to-face meeting.
The second proposal concerned the provision of information on energy-efficient and low-GWP technologies, submitted by the United Kingdom. After a first round of general comments, delegations agreed to hold more candid discussions on this in a contact group.
Delegates also considered the membership of Montreal Protocol bodies, nominating members to the Implementation Committee and the Executive Committee. They also welcomed Martin Sirois (Canada) and Osvaldo Álvarez (Chile) as Co-Chairs of the forty-fourth meeting of the Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG 44).
When plenary adjourned for the day, delegates convened in a contact group on energy efficiency, co-facilitated by Leslie Smith (Grenada) and Patrick McInerney (Australia). The Budget Committee met in parallel.
Finally, delegates met in a side event to consider the key findings of the sixth Assessment Report Working Group I report and assessments of interest for stratospheric ozone and substances controlled under the Montreal Protocol. The event was organized by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
COP 12(II)/MOP 32 is meeting online (due to the COVID-19 pandemic) from 23-29 October 2021, from 2:00 – 4:00 PM East Africa Time.
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Selected Photos
OEWG-43 Co-Chair Martin Sirois, Canada
John Thompson, US
Annie Gabriel, Australia
Yaqoub Almatouq, Kuwait
Ezzat Lewis, Egypt
Idris Abdullahi, Nigeria
Nicole Folliet (Canada), Budget Committee Chair
Shoji Tamura, Japan
Phillippe Chemouny, Canada
Steve Cowperthwaite, UK
Arno Kaschl, EU
Paulo Braga, Brazil
Shontelle Wellington, Barbados
Side Event
Sophie Szopa, France
Vaishali Naik, US
Sophia Mylona, Ozone Secretariat
Frank Dentener, EU