COP28: U.S. joins global pledge to cut cooling emissions

The United States, along with at least 60 other nations, has committed to a pledge to reduce cooling emissions by 2050, as announced by officials from the U.S. State Department at the COP28 in Dubai on Tuesday.

The Global Cooling Pledge is the world’s first cooperative effort to address energy emissions from the cooling sector.

The pledge urges countries to achieve a minimum reduction of 68 percent in their cooling-related emissions by 2050, compared to the levels recorded in 2022.

Indeed, it’s a challenging task, especially considering the cooling industry is expected to grow as global temperatures rise.

The installed cooling capacity is anticipated to triple by 2050, leading to a significant increase in cooling emissions.

According to a report released on Tuesday by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), these emissions are expected to surge to between 4.4 billion and 6.1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2050.

This would equate to one-tenth of the projected global emissions, as stated in the report, and would put a significant burden on electrical grids.

An official stated that the U.S. is eager to explore methods to enhance the efficiency of cooling technologies and gradually reduce the usage of hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs.

The organisers are hopeful that at least 80 countries will support the cooling pledge, considering the urgent need to drastically reduce emissions that contribute to global warming and to safeguard people from hazardous heatwaves.

A recent report from the Lancet medical journal suggested that the number of fatalities due to heat stress could see a fourfold increase by the middle of this century.

According to estimates by UNEP, concerted global efforts to address cooling emissions have the potential to prevent the release of up to 78 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.