Belem: The global demand for cooling is projected to triple by 2050, posing significant challenges for climate change and power grid stability, according to a recent report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) released in Belem, Brazil.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the UNEP report emphasizes the urgent need for countries to adopt the Sustainable Cooling Pathway (SCP). This initiative could potentially cut cooling emissions by 64 percent by 2050 while protecting three billion people from escalating heat. Moreover, it could save up to 43 trillion US Dollars through avoided electricity and infrastructure costs.
The SCP, as outlined in the UNEP-led Cool Coalition’s publication, offers the most comprehensive assessment to date of the rapidly escalating global demand for cooling. It highlights the necessity of climate-friendly solutions that ensure access to space cooling or refrigeration, resilient buildings, and urban green spaces. These solutions are particularly vital for low-income and vulnerable groups, including smallholder farmers, women, and the elderly, without exacerbating the climate crisis.
The report suggests that sustainable cooling, with a focus on passive techniques and hybrid cooling methods that integrate energy-efficient fans and air conditioners, could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Sustainable cooling promises to save trillions of dollars and expand life-saving cooling access to those most in need.
The Global Cooling Watch 2025, launched at COP30 in Bel©m, Brazil, indicates that under a business-as-usual scenario, cooling demand could more than triple by 2050. This surge is driven by population growth, increased wealth, more frequent extreme heat events, and the rising access of low-income households to polluting and inefficient cooling technologies. Such trends could nearly double cooling-related greenhouse gas emissions compared to 2022 levels, potentially overwhelming power grids during peak loads.
The report concludes that adopting the SCP could reduce emissions by 64 percent, bringing them down to 2.6 billion tons of CO2e below the projected levels for 2050.