Extreme heat is emerging as the defining climate risk of this decade. The 2023 Global Cooling Watch warns that without decisive action, cooling-sector emissions could reach 6.1 gigatonnes of CO₂ equivalent by 2050, which is more than 10 per cent of projected global emissions. Meanwhile, over one billion people still lack access to adequate cooling, which puts lives, food, medicines and economic productivity in jeopardy.
Sustainable cooling, which combines efficient equipment, climate-friendly refrigerants, and demand-reduction strategies, is therefore a frontline adaptation priority. To accelerate progress, the United Nations Environment Programme UNEP Cool Coalition unites over 250 governments, cities, companies, and financiers, advancing a triple strategy of passive design, energy efficiency, and HFC phase-down. At the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference (COP28), the Cool Coalition launched the Global Cooling Pledge, the world’s first collective commitment to cut cooling-related emissions by 60 per cent by 2050, while expanding equitable access by 2030.
As countries prepare their third-round Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0), integrating cooling is critical for meeting targets, including those delivered under the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), the Paris Agreement’s collective target to enhance adaptive capacity, strengthen resilience and reduce vulnerability. To guide this process, the Cool Coalition NDC Working Group, with contributions from the American University in Cairo, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), Clean Cooling Collaborative (CCC), Collaborative Labeling and Appliance Standards Program (CLASP), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Proklima, the Ozone Secretariat, Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre (UNEP-CCC), and UNEP United for Efficiency (U4E), have developed the NDC Cooling Guide, a practical roadmap for embedding sustainable cooling into climate strategies and ensuring real-world results.
This side event, convened by the UNEP Cool Coalition, brings together government representatives and sustainable development experts to officially launch the NDC Cooling Guide, and foster high-level dialogue on how sustainable cooling can be embedded in national adaptation strategies.