Editorial by Didier Coulomb

The UN climate change conference in Copenhagen was a failure. The initial stances and the interests of the stakeholders were too divergent to enable an agreement to be reached rapidly. It is possible that no agreement will ever be reached. However, the problem of climate change is still with us. Whatever happens, the need to reduce energy consumption and promote low global warming refrigerants and at the same time to meet growing needs, in the food sector in particular, remain necessary. The IIR will continue to address these issues with you in 2010 thanks to the following: IIR conferences to be held soon (the Cambridge event on the cold chain and the Sydney event on natural refrigerants); IIR books such as the Guide to Refrigerated Transport and the French versions of Energy Saving in Refrigeration, Air-Conditioning and Heat-Pump Technology and Ammonia as a Refrigerant; renovation of the IIR's information system and services; the IIR's role in international conferences and discussions on food (November 2009), on climate change and the Montreal Protocol, particularly discussions on HFCs. The year 2010 will be an important year for all of us. I hope it will be a fulfilling year for you and your families. Happy New Year! Didier Coulomb Director of the IIR