UNEP OzonAction joined with the World Refrigeration Day Secretariat and industry associations worldwide to celebrate World Refrigeration Day, 26 June. The focus of the 2023 campaign is “Next Generation Cooling” (NextGenCooling), both in the sense of technology and the people who design, manufacture install, and operate it. In the first sense, the celebrations highlight the new technological innovations in the cooling sector that maintain health and comfort of our built environment, protect perishables, enable data centers to operate, and facilitate a wide range of industrial processes on which everyday life depends. In the second sense, the campaign defines the skill sets required of the people behind the innovation, particularly young people who will be the next generation of cooling professionals.
As the NextGenCooling campaign highlights, our wellbeing depends upon sustainable cooling. Technology choices and an evolving industry can safeguard the well-being of future generations.
NextGenCooling begins by implementing technology advancements emanating from both within the cooling industry and from other disciplines impacting society, such as artificial intelligence, and renewable and stored energy development. In the future, cooling will be even more energy efficient with reduced environmental impact as the Montreal Protocol and its Kigali Amendment speed the transition to refrigerants that do not deplete the ozone layer and have lower contribution to global warming.
NextGenCooling also requires an expanded and skilled workforce – men and women working in various capacities wherever cooling is used – meaning everywhere. The cooling industry needs to recruit, train, and retain people equipped with the knowledge and experience that a modern, forward-thinking industry requires. Just as no one should expect the cooling solutions of the future to be the same as those from the past, no one should expect the workforce to be the same either.
Manufacturers, distributors, service providers, design firms, facility operating staff, researchers, and others in the sector will require personnel with skill sets that include varied disciplines, creative thinking, and environmental awareness. This is as heating, ventilation, and conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) systems continue to be more complex and require ever increasing diagnostic and problem-solving skill sets. New systems and tools to remotely control and monitor will be the norm and not the exception. It is especially important for the sector to attract females to fill workforce needs. Currently, women represent less than 3% of HVACR engineers and technicians.
The NextGenCooling campaign is aimed at drawing attention to the technologies and practices revolutionizing our ability to meet cooling demands while minimizing the environmental impact. By enhancing indoor comfort for occupants and reducing energy consumption, these innovative cooling technologies pave the way for a more sustainable future.
