UK commits $15m to Global Cooling Pledge, sector decarbonisation mapped
Launched last year, an international treaty on emissions from heating, ventilation, air conditioning and cooling systems is a likely win for 2024’s UN climate summit.
Agreed in principal at COP28 in Dubai in November 2023, negotiations are again underway in Baku to determine a pat to reduce greenhouse gasses from cooling by 68% within the next 25 years. With the world becoming warmer, this issue is considered an urgent but historically ignored aspect of decarbonisation.
Today saw a meeting of the Ministerial Roundtable on Delivering the Global Cooling Pledge, organised by the UN Environment Programme-led Cool Coalition and COP28 Presidential host United Arab Emirates [UAE]. Attendees reaffirmed their commitment to the initiative, a 2030 Global Cooling Pledge Implementation Strategy has been finalised, equipping countries with tools to expand on existing and developing solutions, and the UK pledged a landmark $15million to fast track new technologies in this area.
The Global Cooling Pledge is not just an agreement; it’s a lifeline, with the potential to collectively reduce emissions by nearly 78 billion tonnes by 2050,’ Her Excellency Dr. Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, told the roundtable. ‘With extreme heat waves and temperatures soaring, sustainable cooling is no longer a luxury, but a necessity for survival and prosperity.
‘The UAE’s commitment to the Pledge is reflected in our national strategies, from pioneering district cooling technologies to phasing out harmful refrigerants,’ she continued. ‘By working together, sharing innovations, best practices, and prioritizing vulnerable communities, we can break the cycle of heat and emissions, and build a cooler, liveable future for all.’
According to the UNEP’s own Global Cooling Watch Report, passive cooling – measures which focus more on building design than energy-hungry technologies – could help bring down cooling demand by 2050. Saving equivalent to 1.3billion tonnes of CO2 annually, more than 70 countries and non-state actors are now signed up to the Pledge, and equitable access to live saving cooling solutions for vulnerable populations, committing to 14 actions. Greenhouse gas refrigerants will also be phased out, with 163 signatures on the Kigali Amendment to the Pledge.
‘As greenhouse gasses continue to rise, so do the intensification of climate impacts, with extreme heat high among them,’ said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. ‘This is why we need to increase access to cooling across the board, to protect human health, reduce inequality and poverty, and allow economies to function. This includes cold chains too, so that we can reduce the 12 per cent of food that is lost and the 25 per cent of vaccines that degrade due to lack of proper temperature management.’
Countries including UAE and Brazil have already embedded cooling into Nationally Determined Contributions [NDCs]. Meanwhile, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ghana, Japan, Kenya, Nigeria, Singapore and Vietnam have also announced intentions to follow suit and are at different stages of implementing this policy. In total, 37 countries have indicated that they are considering doing the same.
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Image: Russell Wong Photo via Openverse