Keeping cool at CoP27 in Egypt – thanks to climate-wrecking refrigerant gases
SHARM EL-SHEIKH: As global leaders and delegates bake under the desert sun in Egypt at the UN CoP27 climate summit, the air-conditioning keeping them cool is using refrigerant gases which are highly damaging to the climate.
The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) team at Sharm El-Sheikh has uncovered use of the climate-wrecking hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants in cooling equipment from major equipment manufacturers at the site of the 27th Conference of the Parties (CoP27) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Companies have been accused of greenwashing at the event and Johnson Controls, which has installed 150 large air-conditioning units at CoP27 which run on HFCs, is the latest – yet in the lead up to last year’s climate summit in Glasgow, the firm joined the UN-backed Race to Zero committing to halve emissions by 2030 and to reach net-zero by 2040.
EIA Climate Campaigner Sophie Geoghegan said: “It’s shocking to see a company with net-zero commitments installing new equipment using HFCs with such high global warming impacts at this year’s important climate conference, especially as energy-efficient alternatives using climate-friendly natural refrigerants are available.”
EIA estimates that the climate impact of the refrigerant in these 150 systems equates to more than 2,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. That’s equivalent to almost 4,700 people flying economy class between London and Cairo.
HFCs are being globally phased down under the Montreal Protocol. Although developing countries have until 2024 to freeze their consumption, fast-acting measures are needed to control rapid growth in HFC demand.
Geoghegan added: “This is a major company greenwashing its climate credentials while installing new HFC equipment at the event – but at least some of the ice-cream and cool drinks equipment in the venue is using natural refrigerants.
“Looking ahead, next year’s CoP should showcase a broad range of climate-friendly cooling solutions.”
EIA approached Johnson Controls for comment but has yet to receive a response.
CONTACTS FOR MEDIA
- Sophie Geoghegan, EIA Climate Campaigner, via sophiegeoghegan[at]eia-international.org
- Fionnuala Walravens, EIA Senior Climate Campaigner, via fionnualawalravens[at]eia-international.org
- Paul Newman, EIA Senior Press & Communications Officer, via press[at]eia-international.org
EDITORS’ NOTES
- The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) investigates and campaigns against environmental crime and abuses. Our undercover investigations expose transnational wildlife crime, with a focus on elephants, pangolins and tigers, and forest crimes such as illegal logging and deforestation for cash crops such as palm oil; we work to safeguard global marine ecosystems by tackling plastic pollution, exposing illegal fishing and seeking an end to all whaling; and we address the threat of global warming by campaigning to curtail powerful refrigerant greenhouse gases and exposing related criminal trade.
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