Overview

Dr Rajendra Shende, the Former Director of UNEP, writing on COP28 in the April 2023 issue of Climate Control Middle East, said: “Commenting on actions expected from messages of urgency emanating from IPCC’s AR6, H.E. Dr Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, President-Designate, COP28, called for ‘system-wide transformation’.

“H.E. Dr Al Jaber’s comments refer to not only systems of governments but also systems of thought process amongst businesses, local governments and individuals. Indeed, such transformation of mindset is needed, considering the fast-closing window of opportunity, to crack open the main doors of solutions to win the battle against the climate crisis.”

Whilst editing the April 2023 issue of the magazine, it struck us that ‘system-wide transformation’ is a worthy theme for the 13th Edition of the Climate Control Awards. It implies establishing or strengthening company policy. It also implies pursuing the bigger picture at a time when it is more and more painfully obvious that many HVACR and allied organisations are going about their chosen specialisations in anything but an interconnected manner. The word, ‘responsibility’ often extends only to their specific area of work. By extension, organisations that go beyond that area in an attempt at holistic transformation deserve to be called champions.

The drafting of KPIs of the 13th Edition is aimed at understanding organisational policy, culture and behaviour leading to outcomes aligned with regional and global socio-economic and sustainable development goals. The fight against climate change is not just about trying to stay within a particular temperature threshold. As was obvious from the Canadian wildfires of June 2023, the cause was climate change and the impact was poor outdoor air quality, manifested in the form of red-hued skies over New York City, amongst other places. The fight against climate change is a serious affair, as is the need for better Indoor Environmental Quality.

As in the past, the judges are acutely aware of the connections – the causative aspects and the implications. They are earnest about identifying those organisations and individuals who genuinely mean well, and about showcasing them as champions – to serve as examples to the entire industry and to the larger society.

We do hope you appreciate the philosophical structures that underpin the Climate Control Awards and respond to the pressing needs with intent backed by decisive action.

With Best Wishes,

Surendar Balakrishnan
Co-Founder & Editorial Director, CPI Industry
Producer, Climate Control Awards