SAO PAULO, Brazil - Thomas E. Bettcher, chairman of the board of directors of the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI), spoke at the opening ceremony of CONBRAVA, Brazil's refrigeration, ventilation, and air conditioning congress.

Bettcher praised the technical sessions of CONBRAVA and the concurrent FEBRAVA exhibition for bringing together individuals in the industry to advance the goal of improving the quality of life.

He also announced that ABRAVA, Brazil's refrigeration, air conditioning, and ventilation association, has become the newest member of the International Council of Air Conditioning, Refrigeration Manufacturers' Association (ICARMA).

"In addition to the cooperative efforts of ICARMA," said Bettcher, "I would like to cite two areas where we can work together for our mutual benefit. First, we need to reach international agreements that guarantee manufacturers and product developers the opportunity to utilize refrigerants that are safe, improve performance, re-duce operating costs, and preserve the environment.

"We must unify in support of balanced refrigerant solutions for society, so that we can preserve and improve everyone's quality of life."

Bettcher noted that the HVACR industry is well into the process of phasing out CFCs under the Montreal Protocol and the newly designed equipment using alternative refrigerants is accelerating this process.

Publication date: 11/03/2003