Highlights and images for 3 July 2019

Summary

Highlights for Wednesday, 3 July 2019

Omar Ghazi Al-Attas, Maryam Al-Dabbagh, Saudi Arabia; Hasan Mubarak, Bahrain; and Yaqoub Al-Matouq, Kuwait, having a discussion with Amit Love, India

OEWG 41 convened for its third day on Wednesday, 3 July 2019, in Bangkok, Thailand.Delegates met throughout the day in plenary addressing:

Article 5 parties’ access to energy efficient technology;

linkages between HCFCs and HFCs in transitioning to low-GWP alternatives;

safety standards;

review of the terms of reference (ToR), composition, balance, fields of expertise and workload of the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel (TEAP);

membership of the Multilateral Fund (MLF) Executive Committee (ExCom); and

the request by Azerbaijan to be included among the parties to which the phase-down schedule for HFCs, as set out in paragraphs 2 and 4 of Article 2J of the Montreal Protocol, applies.

Contact groups on ToR for the study on the MLF replenishment 2021-2023, unexpected emissions of CFC-11 and an informal consultation on lab and analytical uses met during the course of the day.Highlights of the discussions include:

adopting common standards between similar markets would enable manufacturers to capitalize on scale and accelerate technology readiness;

how countries are setting and enforcing minimum energy performance standards;

the suggestion of a review mechanism on the composition of the TEAP; and

presentation of the development of an online tool for safety standards.

Three side events were held during day: ‘Green Cooling in South-East Asia - selected case studies from Indonesia and Thailand’ organized by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), ‘Enforcement of HCFC Licensing Systems’ organized by OzonAction, and ‘Japan’s F-gas policy and current status of measures to curb greenhouse gas emissions and to enhance energy efficiency products in RACHP sector’ organized by The Japan Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Industry Association.At the end of the day’s deliberations, some delegates were heard commenting that parts of the afternoon’s debate felt a bit like “going down memory lane.” Recalling the heated debates leading up to the Kigali Amendment’s adoption, she remarked that the eristic discussions triggered by the review of the TEAP’s ToR, composition, balance, fields of expertise and workload, the MLF ExCom membership were somewhat unexpected.

IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) meeting coverage, is providing daily web coverage from OEWG 41. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has published a summary and analysis from the meeting, which is available in HTML and PDF.

Photos by IISD/ENB | Sean Wu

For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page

Environmental Effects Assessment Panel Co-Chairs Nigel Paul and Janet Bornman consulting with Cindy Newberg and John Thompson, US, before the morning session