To new beginnings: Towards a more member-driven Alliance

“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” – Winston Churchill

With the year 2024 ending, it’s time for new beginnings. COPA has developed into a diverse network of 74 members joining forces and can look back on many achievements in reducing ODS and HFC banks. And it is ready to put the members in the driver’s seats. An Extraordinary Plenary Meeting was held on 27 and 28 November to celebrate the achievements and to set the course for a more independent future. “COPA has made a difference: Those of you who attended the 36th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol in Bangkok could witness that the Montreal Protocol community has put a focus on Lifecycle refrigerant management”. With these words, Nicole Wilke and Rachel Pekker from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) opened the Plenary Meeting which took place on two dates to allow participation from different time zones. This international awareness shows that COPA is more important than ever. This view was also reflected in the fact that many members presented their personal COPA highlights in a video and in person. Most members appreciate the international network that COPA is fostering exchange, e.g.in the thematic working groups, and making knowledge available, such as the (virtual) study tours.

A promising future

After looking back at the successes, the mood was set for the Plenary to look ahead. After three years of funding from the BMWK and the International Climate Initiative (IKI), COPA is ready to develop into a sustainable, independent Alliance that implements mitigation action projects. This means that members themselves set the course – albeit with the support of the Steering Committee and the Secretariat. Inspiration for future activities were given by COPA members during the last session of the meeting. Ayse Frey and Jorge Lujan from Energy Changes introduced their online course “Leveraging carbon markets and Article 6 for refrigerant management”. Building on this, Malin Emmerich from COPA Secretariat continued with a 5-step plan to “Get ready with me (GRWM) for Article 6”. Adrian Bukmanis from Veridien RM pitched the project idea of a “Helpdesk for Electronic Logbooks” as a critical tool for reducing leakage and lowering direct and indirect emissions. Finally, Tizian Pfeiffer motivated the members to make use of the funding window for an inventory of banks of used or unwanted controlled substances and a plan for the collection, transport and disposal of such substances (Decision 91/66 by ExCom) by the Multilateral Fund for up to $100.000. These pitches showed that there are many promising projects and ideas for mitigation action waiting to be implemented. Matching with that, Ellen Michel, Head of COPA Secretariat, concluded the Extraordinary Plenary Meeting stating that "COPA is ready to become more independent. We hope this Extraordinary Plenary Meeting has inspired you to stay committed to our common cause.”

Click here for the presentations on Day 1
Click here for the presentations on Day 2