With 63 countries signing on to a new Global Cooling Pledge in the first week of the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is charting a course for as much as a 96% reduction in cooling emissions by 2050.
As global temperatures warm, cooling becomes increasingly critical for personal safety and well-being, preservation of food cold chains, and safekeeping of vaccines and medication around the world, panelists told a UNEP media conference December 5. Cooling currently accounts for one-fifth of global electricity consumption and 7% of GHG emissions globally and is predicted to double by 2050, creating a cycle of more cooling and more emissions as temperatures rise.
From Freetown to Manhattan
“Whilst temperatures are rising everywhere in the world, the experience of our residents differs markedly depending on where you are,” said Freetown, Sierra Leone Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, co-chair of the C40 Cities Coalition. But “whether you are living in Manhattan and can afford air conditioning, or you’re living in a slum community in Freetown and cannot afford air conditioning, temperatures are still rising.”
That means the cooling sector “must grow to protect everyone from rising temperatures, maintain food quality and safety, keep vaccines stable and economies productive,” added UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen. “But this growth must not come at the cost of the energy transition and more intense climate impacts. Countries and the cooling sector must act now to ensure low-carbon cooling growth.”
The UNEP report [pdf] lays out three sets of actions that could cut those emissions by 60% by 2050:
• Passive cooling measures such as insulation, natural shading, ventilation, and reflective surfaces could curb the growth in demand by 24% by 2050. Cities can accelerate these techniques through policy development and building energy code enforcement, and by incorporating nature-based solutions in urban planning.
• Updated, steadily higher energy performance standards for cooling equipment can set more rigorous efficiency requirements for new products.
• A faster phasedown of climate-warming hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol would curtail substances that carry thousands of times the global warming impact of CO2. HFC emissions can be halved by 2050 through rapid uptake of more efficient technologies, more robust refrigerant management, and stronger national enforcement.
The report says rapid decarbonization of power grids would cut cooling emissions by another two billion tonnes of carbon dioxide or equivalent in 2050, bringing the total reduction to 96%.
Increased financial support from both public and private sectors will be needed to make sustainable cooling more accessible and affordable, particularly in developing countries—but there’s good reason for would-be financiers to take note. The sustainable cooling transition is expected to generate life cycle cost savings of US$22 trillion, and that’s ample opportunity to scale existing business models to reduce upfront costs and make the transition affordable for all.
Those savings include $17 trillion in reduced energy bills between 2022 and 2050, peaking at $1 trillion in 2050 alone, plus a reduction in peak electricity demand of 1.5 to 2 terawatts, almost twice as much as the EU’s current generation capacity.
“Fortunately, the solutions are available today,” Andersen told the media briefing. “Getting energy efficient, sustainable cooling right offers an opportunity to cut global warming, improve the lives of hundreds of millions of people, and realize huge financial savings.”
“As temperatures rise, it is critical that we work together to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions from the cooling sector while increasing access to sustainable cooling,” said COP28 President Sultan Al-Jaber. “This access is essential for the most vulnerable communities, who have often contributed the least to climate change but are the most exposed to its impacts.”
Global Cooling Pledge
The Global Cooling Pledge, launched at COP28 as a joint initiative between UNEP’s Cool Coalition and the United Arab Emirates, is meant to be a first global opportunity for international cooperation and collective targets to achieve sustainable cooling and reduce emissions. The 63 signatories have committed to:
• Achieve a minimum 68% reduction in cooling emissions by 2050;
• Significantly improve global access to sustainable cooling by 2030;
• Increase the overall efficiency of new air conditioners globally by 50%.
The pledge provides a strong political push for countries to ratify the Kigali Amendment if they haven’t already done so. It commits signatories to publish national cooling action plans, incorporate cooling in their national greenhouse gas reduction plans or publish legislation by 2026, and reflect those efforts in their next Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.
