The HVAC industry worldwide needs to become involved in finding solutions to the planet’s energy and environmental crises.

That’s the message Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute Chairman Robert Wilkins is expected to deliver Wednesday at the International Congress of Refrigeration in Beijing.

Wilkins, who is also president of controls and components maker Danfoss Inc., said he believes the industry has a “vital mandate” tackle environmental issues through energy efficiency, standards development, performance certification and responsible refrigerant use.

“How we address these challenges will determine where we will be as an industry when we approach the middle of the 21st century,” Wilkins said in a press release.

The ARI is a trade association representing the major HVACR manufacturers and 90 percent of the equipment installed in North America.

The Beijing refrigeration conference runs Tuesday through Sunday. It is the first time the 22-year-old meeting has been held in Asia.