The United National Environment Program (UNEP) has released a Sustainable Cooling Pathway to reduce 64 per cent of cooling emissions by 2050 and save $US43 trillion in electricity infrastructure costs.
Cooling demand is set to triple by 2050 overloading power grids and contributing to rising greenhouse gas emissions.
The Pathway is included in the Global Cooling Watch 2025 a report released this week at COP30 in Brazil.
The report points out that under a business as usual scenario, cooling related greenhouse gas emissions will almost double over 2022 levels pushing cooling emissions to an estimated 7.2 billion tonnes of CO2e by 2050.
This is despite ongoing efforts to improve energy efficiency, phase down climate-warming refrigerants and reducing stress on power grids.
By adopting a ‘Sustainable Cooling Pathway’, emissions could be reduced by 2.6 billion tonnes of CO2e below the levels expected in 2050.
When combined with rapid decarbonisation of the global power sector, residual cooling emissions could fall to 97 per cent below business-as-usual levels.
“As deadly heat waves become more regular and extreme, access to cooling must be treated as essential infrastructure alongside water, energy and sanitation,” according to Inger Andersen, executive director of UNEP. “But we cannot air condition our way out of the heat crisis, which would drive greenhouse gas emissions higher and raise costs.
“Passive, energy efficient and nature-based solutions can help meet our growing cooling needs and keep people, food-chains and economies safe from heat as we pursue global climate goals. We have no excuse: it is time we beat the heat.”
The report is the most comprehensive assessment to date of the rapidly growing global demand for cooling and the need for climate-friendly solutions to address the issue.
The Pathway combines passive cooling strategies, low-energy and hybrid cooling which combines fans and air conditioners, the rapid adoption of high-efficiency equipment and an accelerated phase down of HFC refrigerants under the Kigali Amendment.
Nearly two-thirds of the emissions cuts available come from passive and low-energy solutions, reinforcing the urgency of embedding them in national policies and urban planning.
These solutions are highly affordable and critical for improving access to cooling for three billion more people by 2050. If adopted, the Pathway could save $US17 trillion in cumulative energy costs through to 2050 and avoid up to $US26 trillion in grid investment through reduced electricity demand.