Over 60 countries signed up to a so called ‘cooling pledge’ with commitments to reduce the climate impact of the cooling sector, that could also provide “universal access to life-saving cooling, take the pressure off energy grids and save trillions of dollars by 2050.”
India has not signed the pledge.
About Cooling pledge
- The pledge is an initiative of the United Arab Emirates as host of the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28).
- It aims to:
- raise ambition and international cooperation through collective global targets to reduce cooling related emissions by 68% from today by 2050,
- significantly increase access to sustainable cooling by 2030, and
- increase the global average efficiency of new air conditioners by 50%.
Why a cooling pledge?
- According to a new report published by the UN Environment Programme-led Cool Coalition at the COP28 climate talks in Dubai, more than 1 billion people are at high risk from extreme heat due to a lack of cooling access – the vast majority living in in Africa and Asia.
- Conventional cooling, such as air conditioning, is a major driver of climate change, responsible for over seven per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. If not managed properly, energy needs for space cooling will triple by 2050, together with associated emissions.
- In short, the more we try to keep cool, the more we heat the planet. If current growth trends continue, cooling equipment represents 20 per cent of total electricity consumption today – and is expected to more than double by 2050.
- The UNEP report outlines a roadmap for sustainable and passive cooling, higher energy-efficiency standards, and a rapid phase-out of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants. Implementing these measures could reduce projected 2050 emissions from business-as-usual cooling by around 3.8 billion tons of CO2 equivalent.
