India’s Arctic policy must push Western countries to give up double standards

‘We need to act for the Amazon and act for our planet,’ said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when fires ravaged the Amazon rainforest in August 2019. He was joined by many Western countries in preaching the virtues of protecting the ‘global common’ for combating climate change.

But the Western world’s concern for the global commons seems to limit itself, so far, to the sensitive ecosystems in the southern hemisphere. Thus, there is an international treaty to protect the Antarctic, which puts an indefinite ban on mining and hydrocarbon extraction. Furthermore, there is a long-standing demand, pushed by the G7 countries, for an international treaty to protect the tropical forests because they are the most biodiverse regions and ‘Lungs of Earth’.

However, when it comes to the northern hemisphere ecosystems, the same countries reject any international intervention. The Arctic is a classic case of this double standard. In 2008, the five coastal states of the Arctic Ocean (United States, Russia, Canada, Norway and Denmark) vowed to block any “new comprehensive international legal regime to govern the Arctic Ocean” in the Ilulissat Declaration.

The Arctic is essential for the stability of the earth’s climate, arguably even more than the Antarctic. Its sea ice helps moderate the global climate. In turn, it is also very sensitive to changes in climate. Consequently, the Arctic is warming more rapidly than the global average, and its sea ice has decreased dramatically since the late 1970s.

The warming of the Arctic is also speeding the melting of the Greenland ice sheet. Recent studies indicate that Greenland’s ice is melting on average seven times faster today than in the 1990s. Therefore, the changes in the Arctic have massive ramifications on sea level rise, aquatic ecosystems, and weather patterns across the world, including the monsoon.

But the sea ice melting has also opened up the fabled Northwest Passage, significantly shortening the route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In addition, Arctic seabed is now accessible for oil and gas extraction and deep-sea mining. As an estimated 40% of current global oil and gas reserves are in this region, there is a scramble over shipping lanes and resources, especially between the Arctic states. But other countries are also staking claim over the region’s resources, especially China.

India is an observer at the Arctic Council and has recently released a draft Arctic policy. Regrettably, the draft policy lacks objectivity. It is an ‘all-of-the-above’ policy with contradictory goals. On the one hand, the policy envisions India’s role in exploring and exploiting hydrocarbon and encourages investments by Indian companies. On the other hand, it also expresses deep concerns regarding the impacts on the country due to the changes in the Arctic, including on the monsoon, and proposes a slew of research activities. In conclusion, the draft terms the Arctic as ‘the common heritage of mankind’ and calls for ‘sustainable, responsible and transparent’ human activity.

But ‘sustainable, responsible and transparent’ exploitation of the Arctic is an oxymoron. It is impossible to take out oil and gas, burn them, and still keep global warming under check, or open the international shipping lane and expect the ocean to remain pristine. The irony is that the world’s wealthiest people, living in the already wealthy Arctic states, will gain the most by exploiting the resources. However, the costs will be borne by the world’s poorest, living in the coastal areas of the global South.

If India wants to be a serious player in the Arctic, then its policy must address this irony and the double standards of the Arctic states. It is important to realise that we made a mistake by becoming an observer in the Arctic Council, thereby accepting the Arctic states’ sovereign right over the Arctic ocean. We will repeat the error if we join them in exploiting the Arctic.

The bottom line is that India will not gain economically but is likely to lose massively due to coastal flooding, monsoon disruptions and changes in the ocean systems. Therefore, India’s Arctic policy should push for an international legal mechanism, similar to the Antarctic treaty, and save the Arctic’s pristine ecosystem and earth’s climate. In this endeavour, it might find allies in the Biden administration, which has just cancelled the Arctic Refuge oil programme and Keystone pipeline.

A step up in climate action, India adopts safety standards for natural refrigerants

The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol entered into force on the 1st of January 2019 upon being ratified by twenty parties. As of today, a total of 112 countries ratified the amendment. Another 86 countries are yet to ratify the amendment; among these are India, China and the USA. India, on its part, has indicated the importance of sustainable and climate-friendly cooling and the essential role of natural refrigerants. This blogpost explains how safety standards of natural refrigerants is a win-win for growth, jobs and the environment.

The Montreal protocol and all its subsequent amendments focused on transitioning away from ozone depleting gases. Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) gases emerged as a stop-gap-solution for cooling applications. While HFCs are not ozone depleting they have a fairly high global warming potential (GWP). The Kigali Amendment addresses this by setting a timeline for phase-down of high-GWP HFCs. A forward-looking strategy at this time would be to avoid making another pitstop for transition refrigerants but instead make a leapfrog to climate-friendly refrigerants.  

Alternatives for high-GWP refrigerants have either been low-GWP synthetic HFCs, hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) and their blends or natural refrigerants such as ammonia, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons (HC) and water. Multinational companies are promoting synthetic refrigerants as drop-in replacements, allowing for continued use of existing equipment. A critical drawback of synthetic refrigerants is their detrimental impact on the climate and/or the environment. For instance, many ‘low-GWP’ HFCs have GWP values of greater than 100. The breakdown products of HFOs like Trifluoroacetic acid, on the other hand, have been found to be eco-toxic and accumulate in water bodies. Additionally, most synthetic refrigerants are fiercely guarded by patents, making them expensive.

Natural refrigerants, on the other hand, have GWP values as low as 10 and are substantially cheaper than synthetic alternatives. Other widely discussed advantages of natural refrigerants include their cost saving capacity both in terms of energy efficiency and lower maintenance costs. A major hindrance to the widespread use of natural refrigerants is their flammability and/or toxicity relative to HFCs. Technological advances have enabled the safe use of HCs and ammonia for cooling applications albeit in applications requiring low amounts of refrigerants. Widespread use of natural refrigerant-based cooling as well as expanding their applications requires safety standards and skilled labour for installation and maintenance.

In 2020, the Bureau of India Standards (BIS) adopted IEC 60335-2-40:2018 and Code of Practice for design and installation of the closed-circuit ammonia systems (MED 3 (14430)). Both of these standards target natural refrigerants, aiming to make them safe to use in all types of cooling applications.

The adoption of IEC 60335-2-40:2018 is a significant move as it allows for greater charge sizes of refrigerants like HC but with more stringent safety measures. The standard may help with widespread use of Propane (HC 290) as a refrigerant in room air conditioners and perhaps even for commercial applications.

BIS’s decision to publish the code of practice MED 3 (14430) is a critical step as it prescribes India-specific standards to cover all ammonia refrigeration applications. Notably, the Association for Ammonia Refrigeration (AAR) played a pivotal role in the creation of these standards to meet specific design/testing requirements for Indian conditions. With the implementation of these standards, ammonia refrigeration systems in India will be energy-efficient, sustainable and most importantly safe.

With safety standards of natural refrigerants in place, the way forward from here would be to promote their use by the Indian manufacturers. Towards this, the Government of India can roll-out a ‘Make in India’ program for natural refrigerant-based cooling appliances. This will create a large number of jobs in manufacturing and for installation and maintenance of these units. India can also play a major role in promoting the use of natural refrigerants in other developing countries of Asia and Africa as part of south-south cooperation.

References:

treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=IND&mtdsg_no=XXVII-2-f&chapter=27&clang=_en

Ivan, R. E. (n.d.). Kigali Amendment. Regulatory framework, benefits and policies for ratification, UNIDO. www.unido.org/sites/default/files/2017-06/13June_KigaliAmendment_RegulatoryFramework_0.pdf)

McLaughlin, C. (2 July 2018). Germany warns R1234yf could cause harm to drinking water. R744. r744.com/articles/8395/germany_warns_r1234yf_could_cause_harm_to_drinking_water

Greenpeace. (n.d.). Natural Refrigerants: The Solutions.  www.greenpeace.org/usa/wp-content/uploads/legacy/Global/usa/planet3/PDFs/hfc-solutions-fact-sheet.pdf


 

By adopting safety standards for natural refrigerants, India has signaled its intentions to move to climate and environment-friendly cooling gases

The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol entered into force on the 1st of January 2019 upon being ratified by twenty parties. As of today, a total of 112 countries ratified the amendment. Another 86 countries are yet to ratify the amendment; among these are India, China and the USA. India, on its part, has indicated the importance of sustainable and climate-friendly cooling and the essential role of natural refrigerants. This blogpost explains how safety standards of natural refrigerants is a win-win for growth, jobs and the environment.

The Montreal protocol and all its subsequent amendments focused on transitioning away from ozone depleting gases. Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) gases emerged as a stop-gap-solution for cooling applications. While HFCs are not ozone depleting they have a fairly high global warming potential (GWP). The Kigali Amendment addresses this by setting a timeline for phase-down of high-GWP HFCs. A forward-looking strategy at this time would be to avoid making another pitstop for transition refrigerants but instead make a leapfrog to climate-friendly refrigerants.  

Alternatives for high-GWP refrigerants have either been low-GWP synthetic HFCs, hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) and their blends or natural refrigerants such as ammonia, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons (HC) and water. Multinational companies are promoting synthetic refrigerants as drop-in replacements, allowing for continued use of existing equipment. A critical drawback of synthetic refrigerants is their detrimental impact on the climate and/or the environment. For instance, many ‘low-GWP’ HFCs have GWP values of greater than 100. The breakdown products of HFOs like Trifluoroacetic acid, on the other hand, have been found to be eco-toxic and accumulate in water bodies. Additionally, most synthetic refrigerants are fiercely guarded by patents, making them expensive.

Natural refrigerants, on the other hand, have GWP values as low as 10 and are substantially cheaper than synthetic alternatives. Other widely discussed advantages of natural refrigerants include their cost saving capacity both in terms of energy efficiency and lower maintenance costs. A major hindrance to the widespread use of natural refrigerants is their flammability and/or toxicity relative to HFCs. Technological advances have enabled the safe use of HCs and ammonia for cooling applications albeit in applications requiring low amounts of refrigerants. Widespread use of natural refrigerant-based cooling as well as expanding their applications requires safety standards and skilled labour for installation and maintenance.

In 2020, the Bureau of India Standards (BIS) adopted IEC 60335-2-40:2018 and Code of Practice for design and installation of the closed-circuit ammonia systems (MED 3 (14430)). Both of these standards target natural refrigerants, aiming to make them safe to use in all types of cooling applications.

The adoption of IEC 60335-2-40:2018 is a significant move as it allows for greater charge sizes of refrigerants like HC but with more stringent safety measures. The standard may help with widespread use of Propane (HC 290) as a refrigerant in room air conditioners and perhaps even for commercial applications.

BIS’s decision to publish the code of practice MED 3 (14430) is a critical step as it prescribes India-specific standards to cover all ammonia refrigeration applications. Notably, the Association for Ammonia Refrigeration (AAR) played a pivotal role in the creation of these standards to meet specific design/testing requirements for Indian conditions. With the implementation of these standards, ammonia refrigeration systems in India will be energy-efficient, sustainable and most importantly safe.

With safety standards of natural refrigerants in place, the way forward from here would be to promote their use by the Indian manufacturers. Towards this, the Government of India can roll-out a ‘Make in India’ program for natural refrigerant-based cooling appliances. This will create a large number of jobs in manufacturing and for installation and maintenance of these units. India can also play a major role in promoting the use of natural refrigerants in other developing countries of Asia and Africa as part of south-south cooperation.

Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial