Background
At COP28, the United Arab Emirates and the UNEP-led Cool Coalition launched the Global Cooling Pledge, the first collective commitment to expand access to sustainable cooling for those who need it most while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In 2024, at COP29, Ministers convened at the first Annual Cooling Ministerial Roundtable to take stock of progress under the Global Cooling Pledge. They adopted the 2024 Annual Progress Report, endorsed the 2030 implementation strategy and appointed Brazil as Co-Chair of Pledge Contact Group, and welcomed the proposal to establish the intergovernmental Committee on Cooling (IGCC) as part of strengthened governance for the Pledge.
This Cooling Ministerial Roundtable at COP30, co-chaired by the COP30 Presidency of Brazil and the COP28 Presidency of the United Arab Emirates, continued to provide the platform for Ministers and Head of Delegations and partners to take stock of collective progress, adopt key instruments, and launch initiatives that advance Pledge implementation. Governments adopted the Intergovernmental Committee on Cooling (IGCC), the Global Cooling Watch Report 2025 with its Annual Pledge Progress Section, the Belém Communiqué on Extreme Heat, and the operationalization of EPIC–the Pledge’s implementation mechanism. In addition, a major milestone at COP30 was be the launch of the Beat the Heat implementation drive, jointly led by the COP30 Brazilian Presidency and the UNEP Cool Coalition. Officially launched on 11 November in Belém, Beat the Heat serves as the implementation drive for the Global Cooling Pledge and a catalyst for building heat resilience through coordinated national-to-local action. The focus on Beat the Heat continued during this Ministerial Roundtable, where countries will formally welcome the initiative and announce concrete actions and commitments under its framework.
By aligning political leadership with technical solutions, the second Annual Cooling Ministerial at COP30 reinforced the commitments of the Global Cooling Pledge, and continued charting the next phase of coordinated global action on sustainable cooling in the face of intensifying extreme heat.
