PNG joins World Refrigeration Day celebration

The National Weekender

By HARLYNE JOKU

AS PNG joined in the first ever World Refrigeration Day celebrations, people in urban parts of PNG and globally continue to use refrigerators to help store food, water and medicine.
Trade stores, supermarkets, wholesales and hotels use freezers to do the same.
When the weather or temperature is hot they turn on air-condition in their cars, homes, in hospitals, in supermarkets, hotels, in schools, in offices, in businesses and industries etc.
In the name of comfort, business, health, research and so forth, people continue to use refrigerators, freezers and air-conditioning, on a large scale without realizing the impact on global warming.
Substances in refrigerators and air condition units are called ‘Refrigerants’ which absorb heat from one area and expel it into another, usually through a cooling process. Refrigerants are used in types of refrigeration and freezers and air-condition units.
According to the World Refrigeration Day (WRD) Secretariat and the Refrigerants for Life Campaign, most commercially available refrigerants contribute to global warming and ozone depletion when released.
“Today globally 700 million air conditioned cars are used globally, 4million refrigerated trucks and million m3m of refrigerated warehouse preserves 400 million tons of food per year, 2 plus billion domestic refrigerators and (with 170 million produced annually) consuming 4 percent of global energy3, 5.6 billion air-conditioners in use by 2050 tripling the sectors energy demand,” the WRD Secretariat stated.
Thus, newer energy efficient equipment are encouraged to save owners money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
PNG has joined the World Refrigeration Day Secretariat, the Refrigerants for Life Campaign and UN Environment OzonAction and ASHRAE to recognize World Refrigeration Day and reduce greenhouse gas emission globally.
A new association – PNGRACA has been established to promote good practices in the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning industry in the country.
PNG RACA (Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Association), set up by technicians and stakeholders of the industry made a statement last Wednesday 26th of June, 2019 to mark the World Refrigeration Day.
PNGRACA President Daniel Geoghegan said their mission is to ensure that licensed technicians and their companies are following the rules set up by CEPA (Conservation and Environment Protection Authority) and PNGRACA signed by the two parties in a MoA on World Environment Day on June 5, 2019.
Geoghehan is a qualified Refrigeration Mechanic and responsible for over 65 Service Agreements and 4 Projects currently.
He said under the CEPA – PNGRACA 25 year agreement, RACA will assist CEPA with regulations, laws and licensing of the industry standards, and increase and improve the training and level of expertise through the future apprentices and tradesmen throughout PNG.
“We have to ensure that licensed technicians and their companies are following the rules and guidelines set out by CEPA and PNGRACA in our bid to make our mark in global warming issues and provide to industry and people a safe environment to work in,” Geoghehan said.
CEPA’s Manager for Infrastructure, Utilities and Conventions Veari Kula who made remarks on behalf of the Minister for Environment and Conservation and Climate Change Geoffrey Kama commended the establishment of PNG RACA.
Kula said CEPA’s message is clear, and that is “Industries must comply with the rules and standards set.”
He said with the establishment of PNGRACA and the agreement in place, both parties will work together to promote and support CEPA’s transitional advances to the use of more environmental friendly and energy efficient technology.
“The Association stands to promote enhanced standards in the refrigeration trade which is crucial in this modern era where cooling is essential to sustain food security, health vaccine quality and air-conditioning in our car homes, offices, and even the data centres that run our internet,” he said.
CEPA’s National Ozone Officer Anita Poesi said as per the Environment Act 2000, CEPA issues Government Permits to control the import of ozone depleting substances (CFC, HCFCs, Halons, Methyl Bromide.
“While all have been banned, we are currently phasing out the final scheduled ODS (Ozone Depleting substance) category – HCFCs through an annual import reduction schedule working towards zero consumption and ban by 2025,” Poesi said.
Ms Poesi said there is a standing issue on policing, enforcement re- industry compliance to CEPA regulatory requirements.
“We hope to seen a change following the signing of the MoA with PNG RACA – not only on industry compliance but to elevate industry HVAC-R standards in PNG,” Ms Poesi said.
And so this stands as PNG’s contribution and messages from PNG’s CEPA (Conservation and Environment Protection Authority) and PNGRACA in hoping users comply.

  • lHarlyne Joku is a freelance journalist