Editorial by Didier Coulomb

In the previous issue of the Newsletter, I wrote about the conclusions I drew following the 2006 United Nations conferences on ozone depletion and climate change. A recently published important element backs up my conclusions: the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has just published an article demonstrating that the impact of the Montreal Protocol on climate change has been far greater than that of the Kyoto Protocol, thanks to the gradual phase-out of CFCs. The impact of the Montreal Protocol has been estimated as being 8 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide per year over the 1990-2010 period, as compared with 2 gigatonnes per year in the case of the Kyoto Protocol. This will no doubt lead to faster than foreseen phase-out of HCFCs and pressure regarding such phase-out is likely to be exerted in all countries. 2007 will mark the 20th anniversary of the Montreal Protocol and the 10th anniversary of the Kyoto Protocol: the issue, or issues, markedly affecting the refrigeration sector (HFCs…) will probably be discussed during the UN conference on ozone depletion to be held in Montreal, Canada, in September, and that on climate change to be held in Bali, Indonesia, in December. The IIR intends to play an active role once again in order to highlight both progress achieved thanks to measures implemented by the refrigeration sector and the need to continue these efforts with a view to sustainable development: refrigeration is vital to life and must continue to expand worldwide, in a responsible manner. With this in mind, the next issue of the Newsletter will be a special issue dealing with the environment and will be produced in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). This issue will be distributed during the Montreal and Bali conferences, and we will work on ways in which we can make the work we perform better known. The refrigeration sector is and should remain a model of sustainable development. Didier Coulomb, Director of the IIR