Africa's demand for cooling systems is expanding. But regulating the industry is a struggle

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Nigeria News

Abuja,Africa,General News

Due to warmer temperatures and increasing urbanization, the market for cooling systems is expanding in Africa. But the chemicals that make air conditioning and refrigeration work are very potent at heating the planet, and an older one called R-22, which is still very common in Africa, is also harmful to the ozone layer.

A technician positions an R-22 refrigerant on an outdoor air conditioning unit in Lagos, Nigeria, Thursday, July 18, 2024. A technician points at an R-22 refrigerant for an air conditioner while working in Lagos, Nigeria, Thursday, July 18, 2024. A technician positions an R-22 refrigerant on an outdoor air conditioning unit in Lagos, Nigeria, Thursday, July 18, 2024. A technician positions an R-22 refrigerant on an outdoor air conditioning unit in Lagos, Nigeria, Thursday, July 18, 2024.

If he followed the country’s regulations, he would collect the gas into a canister, preventing or minimizing the gas’s environmental harm. Technicians like Braimoh and those who serviced Bukar’s appliance without testing for leaks are self-employed and unsupervised. But they often get customers because they offer cheaper services.

Newer air conditioners that use a family of gases called hydrofluorocarbons don’t harm the ozone and consume less electricity. But HFCs are still potent greenhouse gases, and account for around 2% of all human-caused warming in the atmosphere. Air conditioners running on HFCs are more expensive, meaning they’re less popular than the more polluting ones, according to sellers and technicians in Abuja and Lagos.It’s not just Nigeria. In Ghana, the cooling industry also struggles to get technicians to comply with environmental standards.

The regulations require technicians handling refrigerants and cooling appliances to obtain a license, but that is not enforced, technicians told AP, leaving space for environmentally unsafe practices.

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Africa's demand for cooling systems is expanding. But regulating the industry is a struggleDue to warmer temperatures and increasing urbanization, the market for cooling systems is expanding in Africa.
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