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| DuPont Scientist Dr. Mack McFarland Speaks on Ozone Depletion, Climate Change and Refrigerants |
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Webinar Draws Keen Interest from Hundreds of Refrigerant Industry Professionals with an Eye to the Future
Leading atmospheric scientist, Dr. Mack McFarland of DuPont, conducted a webinar on Wednesday, February 28, 2007, hosted by HPAC Engineering Magazine and sponsored by DuPont Refrigerants. Over 200 participants logged in to the live webinar, and many more are expected to access the archived version that is now available. An abstract of the presentation can be viewed now. Audience survey results and a sampling of questions that were submitted during the live event will soon be available on the DuPont Refrigerants website.
Based on an audience poll taken at the beginning of the webinar, approximately 75% of respondents indicated that they were only "somewhat" or "not at all" familiar with ozone depletion regulations that define the ongoing phaseout of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) like R-22. Dr. McFarland's presentation included a summary of the science and regulations concerning ozone depletion, their impact on the U.S. market, and options and actions businesses can take to address the issue. He also spoke about climate change, where 99% of respondents indicated they expect actions to address global warming will have "significant impact" or "some impact" on their businesses or customers. Dr. McFarland outlined the science and regulations regarding global warming, current and future refrigerant options, and how businesses can best prepare for the refrigerant transition to continue.
Learnings from the webinar spurred positive intent among the participants to take action to address ozone depletion and climate change. As a result of the information presented, approximately 92% of the respondents indicated they would be taking followup actions within their organizations. Within the responding group, about 59% indicated they would monitor regulations more closely and more actively ensure compliance within their organization, 48% expected to improve or recommend improvements to their current refrigerant management plan, 40% indicated they would retrofit or recommend retrofit of HCFC-22 equipment, and over 66% expected to specify or recommend specification of higher energy efficiency equipment in the future.
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