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March 2026 FRASCOLD MARKS 90 YEARS IN THE HVACR SECTOR ASHRAE TO HOST 2026 ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS US$ PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ REPORT ‘Cold chain is a living ecosystem’ Brent Melvin, RSA Cold Chain EDITORIAL CAMPAIGNS Refrigerants Review IEQ & Fertility POST-EVENT REPORTS WFI’s Filtration Hour ISHRAE’s MEERA 2026 Is the GCC Region ready for the refrigerant shift? ccme.news/digital COOLING COUNTDOWN PERSPECTIVES Keep calm and look ahead Krishnan Unni Madathil, Bin Khadim, Radha & Sons 10 years of Kigali Dr Rajendra Shende, Former Director, UNEP Rain-resilient cities Luis de Lope, Saur InternationalPRESENTS ONLINE BROADCAST TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON! INDIA EDITION ST www.climatecontrolawards.com/indiawww.ccme.news 3 VOL. 21 NO. 3 MARCH 2026 PERSPECTIVES Keep calm and look ahead Krishnan Unni Madathil, Bin Khadim, Radha & Sons 10 years of Kigali Dr Rajendra Shende, Former Director, UNEP Rain-resilient cities Luis de Lope, Saur International REGULARS News quoteyard eDItor'S note And when the butterfly flaps its wings... !"#$%&'("%) Cooling countdown As the Kigali phasedown approaches, experts warn that the GCC region’s cooling sector must accelerate policy clarity, industry readiness and supply-chain adaptation to avoid shortages and compliance gaps 14 06 08 34 04 36 38 REPORT ‘Cold chain is a living ecosystem’ Brent Melvin of RSA Cold Chain outlines the new-normal of connected, data-driven and increasingly autonomous cold chain systems WFI’s Filtration Hour ISHRAE’s MEERA 2026 32 22 26 28 30 EDITORIAL CAMPAIGN: REFRIGERANTS REVIEW PERSPECTIVE Transitioning to A2Ls There is a greater focus needed on servicing of equipment, says Vadivelan Kannan and Anuj Malhotra of Copeland MEA EDITORIAL CAMPAIGN: IEQ & FERTILITY Q&A An exercise in futility If our protocols fail to arrest the finest particulate matter, we are effectively merely polishing the air, says Dr Iyad Al-Attar, independent IAQ and filtration consultant. Meaningful upgrades require capital that many public systems lack, says Peter Cantone, CEO, Smart Air Defense PERSPECTIVE Filter Media for IVF facilities Suzana Vidaković, of EATON Corporation, speaks on Filter Media considerations for IVF facilities 10 POST-EVENT REPORTS 4 MARCH 2026 Krishnan Unni Madathil Auditor, Bin Khadim, Radha & Co. Chartered Accountants, carrying out an analysis of the market, writes on business opportunities for the HVACR industry. Dan Mizesko President, Dalkia US Chiller Services, writes on issues relating to chilled water systems, including operation & maintenance. Nabil Shahin Managing Director, AHRI MENA, writes on HVACR- specific regulation issues. Dr Iyad Al-Attar Independent air filtration consultant, writes on specific science and technology issues relating to Indoor Air Quality, including airborne particles. Angela Fandino Director, Energy Sustainability at Engineering Sustainable Futures, writes on engineering approaches, and business and financial models that enable a green urban ecosystem. Editor Surendar Balakrishnan surendar@cpi-industry.com Associate Editor Karu Suren karu.suren@cpi-industry.com Online & Social Media Abdul Hakeem marketing@cpi-industry.com Editorial Assistant Arushi Menon features@cpi-industry.com Advertising Enquiries Frédéric Paillé +971 50 7147204 fred@cpi-industry.com Judy Wang Our representative in Asia (except India) +852 307 80 826 judywang2000@vip.126.com Deep Karani Our representative in North America +1 365 885-6849 deep.karani@cpimediagroup.com Design Head Glenn Roxas design@cpi-industry.com Webmaster Chris Lopez chris@cpi-industry.com Database/Subscriptions Manager Purwanti Srirejeki purwanti@cpi-industry.com Published by Founder, CPI Media Group Dominic De Sousa (1959-2015) Co-Founder & Commercial Director Frédéric Paillé fred@cpi-industry.com EMPANELLED COLUMNISTSCo-Founder & Editorial Director Surendar Balakrishnan surendar@cpi-industry.com Head Office PO Box 13700, Dubai, UAE Web: www.cpi-industry.com Printed by: Jaguar Printing Press L.L.C © Copyright 2026 CPI Industry. All rights reserved. While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein. Visit our website: climatecontrolme.com/digital Also available at March 2026 FRASCOLD MARKS 90 YEARS IN THE HVCAR SECTOR ASHRAE TO HOST 2026 ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS US$ PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ US$ PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ US$ PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ US$ PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ REPORT ‘Cold chain is a living ecosystem’ Brent Melvin, RSA Cold Chain EDITORIAL CAMPAIGNS Refrigerants Review IEQ & Fertility POST-EVENT REPORTS WFI’s Filtration Hour ISHRAE’s MEERA 2026 Is the GCC Region ready for the refrigerant shift? ccme.news/digital COOLING COUNTDOWN PERSPECTIVES Keep calm and look ahead Krishnan Unni Madathil, Bin Khadim, Radha & Sons 10 years of Kigali Dr Rajendra Shende, Former Director, UNEP Rain-resilient cities Luis de Lope, Saur International Get the next issue of Climate Control Middle Eastearly! Surendar Balakrishnan Editor @BSurendar_HVACR S cientists working at the University of Science and Technology of China, in February reported a breakthrough in measuring quantum chaos. Also called Quantum Butterfly Effect, the scientists described it as a phenomenon wherein "tiny changes at the smallest scales of matter can dramatically influence outcomes in ways previously thought impossible". The scientists at the university characterised the discovery as significant and as being able to debunk the thinking that quantum events are random but isolated. They said the discovery established the presence of a hidden structure in apparent disorder. The discovery is a further shot in the arm of the diverse array of stakeholders invested in the fight against climate deniers. It serves as inspiration for more conviction- based climate action – that even a sliver of HVACR effort, in any part of the globe, can help mitigate climate change. In 2012, while launching the Refrigerants Review conference, we at CPI Industry drew inspiration from Classical Chaos Theory, which explains unpredictability in weather or ecosystems, and arrived at a logo that fused the two Rs in the shape of a Butterfly, to symbolise the Butterfly Effect. Today, we persist with the logo for the ongoing Editorial Campaign by the same name. We live in an interconnected world. More than we can fathom, perhaps. Clearly defined corporate commercial objectives and differentiating features are important in navigating through a competitive landscape, but the larger picture is of cooperation, coordination and collaboration in achieving nation-building goals. And when the butterfly flaps its wings...www.refrigbuyersguide.com FOR ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES EMAIL: advertising@cpi-industry.com THE LARGEST DATABASE OF REFRIGERATION PRODUCTS & SUPPLIERS IN THE MIDDLE EAST Refrigeration BUYERS’ GUIDE 2026 Your reference hub to the refrigeration industry in the Middle East LOOKING FOR REFRIGERATION PRODUCTS? NOW WITH 20% DISCOUNT ON ALL ONLINE ADVERTISING PACKAGES!6 MARCH 2026 PERSPECTIVE KEEP CALM AND LOOK AHEAD There is a sense in which all of us have been here before, says Krishnan Unni Madathil of Bin Khadim, Radha & Sons Chartered Accountants I T WAS towards the end of December 2019, over six years ago that the first reports started filtering through about the developing coronavirus pandemic. The outbreak first happened in China, and before you knew it, not only were we being asked to stay indoors for months on end, but entire phone applications had been developed in extra quick-time for the issuance of day passes to step outside one’s house. For most of the UAE, back then, there was a sense of resigned determination amongst citizens, residents and business owners, a certain keenness to resume activity that had been paralysed abruptly. It is the way in which the coronavirus was also confronted. This is typical of the values of the UAE: Openness, hope, determination, drive and ambition. And when the situation returns to normal, businesses in the UAE will have to move forward, anyway. I had written during the coronavirus pandemic that part of what helped make the pandemic such a global event so rapidly was the efficiency of global connectivity. It did not take many months for what began in the centre of China to travel all across the world to the Americas and everything traversing the distance. Even I was afflicted by COVID-19 by January 2021, which is probably the first time I have been directly affected by a world event. This time around, it will be the same global connectivity that will act as the relief and exit for the UAE, and the region’s blockages. Indeed, the connections the UAE has cultivated with its partners over the years are coming to its aid to tide over the situation. As a result, the UAE is showing remarkable resilience in the face of what should otherwise be terrible adversity. I am happy to be resident in the UAE together with my family, friends, colleagues and clients under the protective embrace of the UAE leadership. The other major event affecting businesses in the UAE is the ongoing transition towards e-invoicing. The current deadlines for adopting e-invoicing in the UAE are the following: a. For businesses with an annual turnover greater than AED 50 million, they must appoint an Accredited Service Provider (ASP) by 31 July 2026. b. For businesses with an annual turnover less than AED 50 million, they must appoint an Accredited Service Provider (ASP) by 31 July 2027. At least four major elements of a company’s financial information – sales, purchases, receivables and payables – will now be networked through a closed public database, run using the e-Peppol system first developed in the EU. Peppol stands for Pan-European Public Procurement On-Line. This closed public database brings together five points into an almost instantaneous data transfer and sharing network, which are: 1. The seller’s invoicing portal/software 2. The seller’s invoicing software’s e-invoicing ASP (“Accredited Service Provider”) intermediary 3. The buyer’s invoicing portal/software 4. The buyer’s invoicing software’s e-invoicing ASP intermediary 5. The Federal Tax Authority In the above schema, Node 1 generates and sends the invoice, and Node 3 receives and process the invoice. Invoices will be generated in the new, www.ccme.news 7 commonly computer-readable format, called “PINT-AE XML”, which will be used for further processing using the Peppol International (“PINT”) network. Nodes 2 and 4 are intermediary nodes, operated by ASPs, which match the seller’s invoice details with that of the counterpart (buyer’s information) using the Peppol Directory, a public data repository first developed in Europe (which explains the “Pan-European” moniker), but adapted for use in the UAE. UAE-generated invoice data shared with the Peppol International network is fully and securely hosted within the UAE itself. In order to make the new system work, all UAE FTA VAT registrants are required to sign up to the Peppol International UAE (“PINT-UAE”) network, in accordance with the above deadlines, depending on business turnover. Your ASP will connect you to Peppol, so get in touch with an ASP of your choice well before the deadline. Node 5 refers to the FTA, which will capture a copy of each such transaction and update the VAT registrant’s FTA account automatically. And all this happens almost instantaneously. The seller will have full visibility of all his transactions with the buyer, and the buyer will have full visibility of all his transactions with the seller, but neither can peep into each other’s books and see around transactions with other parties. In a way, this brings to life the concept of the “Distributed Ledger System”, or DLS, or “the system of permissioned ledgers”, which I had written about in this magazine several years ago, when describing Bitcoin, which is but one use-case of the same underlying concept. As a result of the application of the DLS (“or permissioned ledger”) methodology, reconciliation between different books of account can become practically instantaneous, costless and updated constantly in an instantaneous fashion. The future of companies’ accounting departments is going to look very different, as a result. With streamlined processes and almost instant reconciliation, period- end accounts reconciliation will be significantly shortened. While companies with larger turnovers are expected to be equipped with e-invoicing capability by the middle of 2026 – give or take a few months, owing to the ongoing disturbances – it is expected to cover all businesses in the UAE by the middle of 2027, in a remarkable case of accelerated technology adoption. The rapidity of the adoption of e-invoicing, and concerns regarding data security, need not scare businesses. The e-Peppol system is designed from ground up with data security in mind, and is compliant with the EU’s GDPR regulations, the world’s most stringent data security legislation. No one will be able to view your invoices or commercial information except the counterpart in your transactions, and that too, limited to the transactions they have with you. Note: Ever the prudent professional, I would always advise companies to ensure adequate, multiple back-ups for your company’s information and periodic back-up exercises, in order to ensure your information does not evaporate in a flash. Additionally, when choosing your Accredited Service Provider, ensure you check for the following: 1. They are officially certified by OpenPeppol. 2. Hosts data within the UAE 3. Offers an ISO 27001-certified environment for added information security management The reason the FTA got behind the idea of e-invoicing is to streamline tax filing information and to reduce fraud and inaccuracy within the VAT collection system. At the moment, even as various companies are registered under the same VAT system, the invoicing methods still speak “different languages”. They adhere to different formatting standards, they display information differently, compliance levels differ, making comparability and audits hard. It is to establish the equivalent of a “common digital language” for invoices that the Peppol-based e-invoicing system has been conceived, and it is an accounting technician’s dream come true. The e-invoicing mandate covers all sales invoices generated by UAE tax registrants, whether they be for domestic sales (within the UAE) or for international sales (where customers are based outside the UAE). While the e-invoices will determine the manner in which commercial information is shared and recorded across the commercial environment, revenue recognition principles will continue to be determined by International Financial Reporting Standards. This is especially relevant when it comes to project- based revenue models, where revenue generation from a single item often spans multiple accounting periods. For especially project-based businesses, such as contractors, the new e-invoicing system may pose new challenges, especially in those cases where invoices generated have long realisation periods, or where there are delays in payments. It was always unethical to not report sales invoices in the periods in which they were generated, but market behaviour suggests that where cash was not forthcoming in short order, the required discipline was not always maintained, especially in situations where taxes were handled in-house, and companies would hold on from reporting issued sales invoices until such time as at least part of the payment was received. This will become difficult with e-invoicing. Since invoices are generated within a permissioned network, the invoice will auto-feed to the company’s FTA account, and VAT obligations will reflect all those invoices which have been generated during the period concerned. Companies which are going to face liquidity problems as a result of this will need to consider various options to address this situation, including establishing proper payment times with customers through discussion and negotiation, progressive billings of a greater number over an extended period (so that individual invoices are not large enough to bring up large VAT liabilities), as well as accessing sources of external financial liquidity, such as bank facilities or factoring. New technologies bring new efficiencies but also new challenges. We have to keep calm and look ahead. CPI Industry accepts no liability for the views or opinions expressed in this article, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided here.8 MARCH 2026 10 YEARS OF KIGALI The choice of refrigerants is critical, but energy efficiency is decisive, says Dr Rajendra Shende , formerly with UNEP, adding that the period starting from 2026 to 2036 presents an invaluable opportunity to shift to sustainable cooling – to Lifecycle Refrigerant and Energy Management (LREM) PERSPECTIVE T HE GLOBAL environmental community is facing a symbolic and strategic milestone. The Paris Climate Agreement, adopted in 2015, completed a decade of implementation in 2025. The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, adopted in 2016 to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), marks its 10th anniversary in 2026. The two are among the most consequential environmental treaties in history. Kofi Annan, the former UN Secretary-General, characterised the Montreal Protocol as “the single most successful international agreement to date”. That continues to prove to be true year after year. In contrast, the Paris Climate Agreement stands out as the most-intensely-debated but inadequately-acted-upon international environmental agreement to date. And the intersection between them, though well attempted in the Kigali Amendment, particularly in the rapidly expanding domain of cooling, remains understated and underdeveloped. The Kigali Amendment has the potential to cool the planet by phasing out HFCs, which have Global Warming Potential (GWP) but no Ozone-Depleting Potential (ODP). If fully implemented, the Kigali Amendment is projected to prevent up to 0.5 degrees C of global warming by 2100, one of the most significant single mitigation actions available this century. Cooling technologies lie at the heart of modern society. Refrigeration preserves food and medicines; air conditioning protects human health and enhances productivity. Cooling is essential for a vast number of processes, like control rooms to make modern technologies work, and hospitals to save lives. However, the very technologies that enable thermal comfort and life-saving methods also pose a major climate challenge. The most striking example of recent years is the cooling of Data Centres, which represent the backbone of AI. The climate impact of cooling systems has two components: Direct emissions from refrigerants and indirect emissions from energy consumption. Over the past three decades, the Montreal Protocol has addressed the first component with remarkable success. The remarkable governance of the Montreal Protocol is ensuring the complete phase out of CFCs, the near complete phase out of HCFCs and the phasing down of high-GWP HFCs under the Kigali Amendment. An example of this governance is the carefully designed and implemented Refrigerant Management Plan (RMP), first suggested and by the Meeting of the Parties (MOP) in 1999, and later improved and strengthened every year through the decisions of the MOPs. The RMP snowballed into the development of the Total Phase out Management Plan (TPMP), in 2003, followed by the HCFC Management Plan (HPMP). The HPMP essentially replaced the RMP and TPMP frameworks, expanding them from CFC servicing to HCFC transition. Indeed the RMP, TPMP and HPMP proved to be the powerful governance tools for the success of the Montreal Protocol. Inspired by the Kigali Amendment to include HFCs under the Montreal Protocol and encouraged by the rapid phase-out of CFCs and near phase out of HCFCs, the Parties to the Protocol decided on the Lifecycle Refrigerant Management Plan (LRMP) in 2023. The focus of the LRMP came to be on the recovery, recycling, destruction and reduction of emissions from banks of refrigerants. Though the RMP also included these activities to a certain degree, policymakers increasingly emphasised that refrigerants should be properly contained, recovered, recycled or destroyed throughout the lifetime of equipment. That way, the LRMP addresses an important source of emissions from refrigerant banks, apart from operating equipment. In the excitement over LRMP, which focussed exclusively on refrigerants, the MOPs overlooked the Lifecycle Energy Management Plan. In the case of most refrigeration and air conditioning systems, the majority of greenhouse gas emissions arise not from refrigerant leakage but from electricity consumption during operation. In many cases, indirect emissions from energy use represent www.ccme.news 9 between 70% and 90% of the total climate impact of the cooling equipment. This fact is becoming even more significant as global temperatures continue to rise. Climate change itself is accelerating demand for cooling. The number of air conditioning units worldwide could increase dramatically by mid-century, particularly in regions of Asia and Africa that are witnessing rapid urbanisation. Without significant improvements in energy efficiency, this surge in cooling demand could place enormous strain on electricity systems and undermine global climate goals. Most manufacturers emphasise the energy performance of cooling equipment at the stage of marketing the equipment. However, energy efficiency deteriorates over time. Poor installation practices, inadequate servicing and cleaning of the exchangers and the condensers as well as improper operation and maintenance protocols can significantly reduce energy efficiency during the lifetime of the equipment. The positioning of the cooling equipment, quality of water and air as well as its geographical location can have major impact on energy performance right from the beginning of its operation. In effect, the climate benefits achieved through refrigerant transition can be partially offset by declining energy efficiency. This reality suggests that the next phase of global cooling governance must go beyond refrigerant management alone. A new policy paradigm needs to emerge, one that can be described as Lifecycle Refrigerant and Energy Management (LREM). LREM recognises that sustainable cooling requires integrated management of refrigerants as well as of energy performance across the entire lifecycle of the equipment. It brings together the strengths of two global environmental regimes: The Montreal Protocol’s expertise in refrigerant management and the Paris Agreement’s focus on energy- related emissions. LREM also signals that while the LRMP ensures regular monitoring of the equipment for leakage and emissions of refrigerants, the energy performance is compromised due to lack of regular monitoring of energy efficiency. Under the integrated framework, refrigerant transition and energy efficiency improvement become mutually reinforcing objectives rather than separate policy domains. The decade ahead – from 2026 to 2036 – offers an opportunity to institutionalise this approach. While ‘refrigerant-leak’ awareness exists, there are no such ‘energy-leak’ awareness and correcting devices. Firstly, refrigerant transition policies under the Kigali Amendment should be systematically aligned with high- efficiency cooling standards, not only at the new products rating and marketing stage but throughout the life of the equipment. Introducing low- GWP refrigerants without improving equipment efficiency risks missing a large share of potential climate benefits. Secondly, the servicing sector must be strengthened globally, not only emphasising the ‘refrigerants refill’ but also through emphasising ‘energy refill’. Technicians play a crucial role not only in preventing refrigerant leakage but also in maintaining system efficiency. Training programmes should, therefore, address both refrigerant handling and energy performance optimisation. The smart system, where real-time energy efficiency is indicated along with the status of the refrigerant in the equipment should be re-imagined. Thirdly, national cooling strategies should adopt a whole-of-lifecycle perspective, incorporating equipment design, installation practices, servicing standards and end-of-life management. There is need for the negotiators in MOP to add Lifecycle Energy Management, as opposed to solely focusing on Life Cycle Refrigerant Management. Fourthly, greater institutional cooperation is needed among organisations working on ozone protection, climate policy and energy efficiency. The intersection between the Montreal Protocol and the Paris Agreement provides a powerful platform for integrated cooling policies. COP28 in Dubai, under the Presidentship of the UAE, for the first time introduced the ‘Cooling Pledge’ and targeted doubling energy efficiency. To achieve the goal would need broader system innovations, including District Cooling, passive cooling architecture, smart energy systems and urban heat-mitigation strategies. The Montreal Protocol has already demonstrated the power of international cooperation to solve complex environmental challenges. By expanding its legacy from LRM to LREM, the global community can unlock a new wave of climate mitigation while ensuring access to affordable and sustainable cooling. Ten years after Kigali and 11 years after Paris, the next chapter of environmental diplomacy may well be written in the language of an integrated cooling policy. CPI Industry accepts no liability for the views or opinions expressed in this article, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided here. The writer is former Director, UNEP; Coordinating Lead Author of IPCC2007, which won the Nobel Peace Prize; and Founder-Director, Green TERRE Foundation. He may be reached at shende.rajendra@gmail.com.Next >