Date: Friday, 19 May 2023 Time: 12:45 – 13:45 (GMT+7) Event Language: English
Format: In-person and online (hybrid)
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Organized by: ESCAP, UNEP, Cool Coalition, Energy Foundation China
Description & Objectives:
Cooling is the unseen climate challenge. For many Asia-Pacific developing nations, the cooling sector is a top driver of electricity demand and emissions. At the same time, rising temperatures and heat stress are negatively impacting populations, economies, and power systems – and further increasing the need for cooling.
This side event will examine the cooling challenge, present the UAE COP28 Presidency Global Cooling Pledge, and highlight best-practice country policies and actions to assess and meet the sustainable cooling challenge.
The side event is open to governments, development agencies, academia, civil society, and other relevant stakeholders from ESCAP member States.
Speakers:
- Prof. Ji Zou, CEO & President, Energy Foundation China
- Mr. Rahma Alshamsi, Special Envoy for Climate Change, Office of the UAE
- Ms. Kimberly Roseberry, Energy Division, ESCAP
- Mr. Abhay Bakre, Director General (DG) of Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE)
- H. E. Pak Sokharavuth, Director General, General Directorate of Environmental Protection, Ministry of Environment, Cambodia
- Mr. Owen Gow, Associate Director, Extreme Heat Initiative at Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center, Atlantic Council
- Mr. Stanford Harrison, Director, Commercial Buildings Policy, Energy Division | Industrial Energy Efficiency Branch, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Australia
- Dr. Li Pengcheng, Research Fellow and Team Leader of Energy Conservation and Low Carbon Group, China National Institute of Standardization (CNIS)
- Mr. Michael Williamson, Chief of Section, Energy Division, ESCAP