- As global temperatures rise and the growing energy demands of air conditioning threaten to emit more greenhouse gases, over 20 leaders on April 3, 2019 in Copenhagen, Denmark committed to a new global effort on clean and efficient cooling, which can make a huge positive impact on climate change, help achieve sustainable development and save money.
- Launched at the First Global Conference on Synergies between the 2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement, the Cool Coalition aims to inspire ambition and accelerate action on the transition to clean and efficient cooling.
- The coalition includes ministers of environment from Chile and Rwanda and Foreign Affairs from Denmark as well as the heads of Danish engineering firm Danfoss and ENGIE, and the leaders of civil society, research, academia and intergovernmental institutions.
- The Cool Coalition is a global effort led by UN Environment, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program, and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL).
- 2018 was the fourth-warmest year on record, with unprecedented peak temperatures recorded across the planet, from 43°C in Baku, Azerbaijan, to the low 30s across Scandinavia. Already, 30 per cent of the world’s population face potentially dangerous temperatures for more than 20 days a year. Heatwaves cause 12,000 deaths annually.
- Amidst rising temperatures and spending power, the number of air conditioners in use is expected to rise from 1.2 billion today to 4.5 billion by 2050. If the world continues down this path, emissions from the sector will grow 90% by 2050 over 2017 levels. This is equivalent to emissions of 12 GtCO2e in 2050 – equivalent to almost one quarter of global emissions in 2017.
- Many cooling technologies use refrigerants that can be 10,000 times more potent greenhouse gases than carbon dioxide. On the first day of 2019, the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol started phasing down these gases, known as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). This amendment can deliver almost 0.4°C of avoided warming from addressing these gases alone.
- A combined strategy to phase down HFCs along with improvements in energy efficiency can potentially double the climate benefits – while saving up to USD 2.9 trillion globally through 2050 by using less electricity, according to figures from the International Energy Agency.
- The Cool Coalition is a unified front that links action across the Kigali Amendment, Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals. It will inspire ambition, identify solutions and mobilize action to accelerate progress toward clean and efficient cooling.
- The Champions in the coalition will inspire action by:
- leading by example on how to advance clean and efficient cooling;
- sharing the scientific case for action;
- securing high-level commitments in the run up to the Secretary General’s Summit;
- motivating others to meet their requirements under the Kigali Amendment and Paris Agreement;
- promoting collaboration;
- advocating for more innovation, greater investment, better information, and increased capacity to move towards clean and efficient cooling.
