Background
2023 saw the warmest year on record, with many countries experiencing extreme temperatures. Extreme heat amplifies inequality, inflames food insecurity, and pushes people further into poverty. As said by the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in his Call to Action on Extreme Heat, we must respond by massively increasing access to low-carbon cooling.
The untapped urgency and opportunity of cooling led the COP28 Presidency to launch the Global Cooling Pledge together with over 70 countries and 60 non-state actors. The Pledge marks the world’s first collective effort to reduce cooling related emissions across all sectors by at least 68% globally by 2050, consistent with limiting global average temperature rise to 1.5°C and in line with reaching global net-zero emissions targets, while significantly increasing access to sustainable cooling by 2030 for the vulnerable populations.
Delivering on the Pledge could cut emissions by around 78 billion tons by 2050 while protecting billions of people from the impacts of extreme heat. Central to the Global Cooling Pledge is the commitment by countries to undertake an annual review
and report back on progress at a dedicated high-level meeting at the UN Climate Change Conference annually through 2030.
This Ministerial roundtable served as a launchpad for action on cooling, and provided an opportunity to share the collective progress on the implementation of the Global Cooling Pledge, including on mainstreaming cooling in the next round of Nationally Determined Contributions. The roundtable also allowed signatories to share views on how they can together contribute to the delivery of the Call to Action on Extreme Heat. It announced the incoming chair of the GCP Contact Group, and proposed the establishment of an Intergovernmental Committee on Cooling (IGCC) for Pledge Signatories.