Date: Monday, 03 April 2023 Time: 10:00 – 12:30 am GST Event Language: English
Format: In-person event
Location: Mahatma Gandhi Convention and Exhibition Centre, Gandhinagar, India
Organized by: Bureau of Energy Efficiency under the guidance of Ministry of Power of the Government of India, in partnership with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) COP28 Presidency and the United Nations Environment Programme led Cool Coalition
Event description
In a warming world, cooling is a necessity. Access to adequate cooling for the vulnerable is increasingly highlighted as a human right (Scientific American 2022; IEA 2022; OHCR2022). The past nine years have all been among the top 10 warmest on record. As the recent IPCC report discloses, human-induced climate change has resulted in extreme heatrelated deaths and illnesses in all regions (IPCC 2021). Heat-related deaths globally have increased by two-thirds over the last two decades. While mortality rates increase during heat waves, high temperatures also disrupt labor productivity, causing additional economic losses. In many parts of the world, and especially in the global south, access to cooling is not a luxury but a necessity to mitigate the health impacts of extreme heat and keep food safe, medicine viable, and workforces productive.
As the demand for cooling increases, so will the associated greenhouse gas emissions unless we take action to improve efficiency and switch to more climate-friendly refrigerants. Typical air conditioners (ACs) and refrigerators use a lot of energy, and the refrigerants they contain – hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) – are potent greenhouse gases (GHGs). Energy consumption for cooling is estimated to rise steeply under business-as-usual scenarios, with more than 5.6 billion ACs projected to be installed by 2050 – which amounts to 10 new ACs sold every second for the next 30 years (IEA, 2018). Cooling currently accounts for 7% of global GHG emissions, and with the status quo, emissions will triple by 2050.
A transition to efficient, climate-friendly cooling could cut eight years’ worth of global emissions but we need to take fast action. The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which has already been ratified by over 100 countries, provides a great opportunity to couple the phasing down of HFCs with improved cooling efficiency. If higher efficiency standards are adopted worldwide we can more than double the efficiency of AC units on the market and reduce cooling energy demand by 45% (IEA 2018). In addition to cooling efficiency standards, 1 improved design of buildings and districts, as well as passive, nature-based solutions can increase access to affordable sustainable cooling for all.
Objectives
- The session has been designed to seek feedback and participants’ perspectives on a Global Cooling Action being addressed under the aegis of the India G20 Presidency and UAE COP28 Presidency. It aims to rally momentum for global action and increased ambition on sustainable cooling, including through the G20 and COP28 processes. The deliberations will highlight country and organisations’ actions on sustainable cooling, in particular the lessons and experiences that India has championed as a global leader in its transition to sustainable cooling, as well as emphasize how G20 and COP28 processes can amplify these and enhance global collaboration.
- This Side Event will convene and bring together the following Stakeholders:
1. Senior official representatives from G20 and non-G20 countries to share high-level interventions on their actions on sustainable cooling, discussions on how G20 and COP28 processes can amplify such action and enhance global collaboration and in particular, seek feedback and participants’ initial perspectives on a Global Cooling Action.
2. The private sector, development banks, financial institutions, and philanthropies discuss how the transition to sustainable cooling can be accelerated through collaborative approaches.