Earlier this year, Trinidad and Tobago announced that their new National Cooling Strategy (NCSTT) had been approved by their Cabinet. The full ‘Sustainable and Efficient Cooling Strategy’ has now been publicly launched and is available online.
Trinidad and Tobago developed their NCSTT to ensure that they are prepared for an increase in the demand for cooling and ready to mitigate the associated threats to the environment. The strategy aims to “support sustainable, energy-efficient, low-GWP cooling in Trinidad and Tobago, enhancing the phase-out and phase down targets under the Montreal Protocol and its recent Kigali Amendment.”
It is anticipated that the implementation of the strategy will save residential consumers and businesses money on their utility bills, reduce electricity waste, enable greater comfort and productivity for building occupants, create employment, mitigate GHG emissions, and support Trinidad and Tobago’s efforts to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and its obligations towards the Paris Climate Agreement.
The strategy tackles sustainable cooling through four initiatives:
- Developing policy instruments e.g. Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) and labeling programs.
- Supporting refrigerant replacement e.g. refrigerant recovery, recycling, and disposal schemes.
- Capacity building and partnership efforts e.g. training and education.
- Monitoring, verification, and enforcement activities.
The NCSTT was developed over an 18-month period using a multisectoral consultative approach and was facilitated by K-CEP funding, administered via UNDP.
News Source: K-CEP
Cover picture: telegraph.co.uk
