The first-ever global coalition on clean and efficient cooling was launched at the recently held First Global Conference on Synergies between the 2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Cool Coalition is a global effort led by the United Nations Environment, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program, and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL).

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Significance of Global Coalition for clean cooling:

• As the world gets warmer, the demand for air conditioners is projected to grow and the greenhouse gas it emits will endanger the planet.
• Clean, efficient cooling appliances and equipment can save up to $2.9 trillion in energy use by 2050, and help avoid 0.4° Celsius warming of the planet
• The global demand for cooling is growing at a rapid pace as unprecedented temperatures peaks have been increasing every year.
• Throughout the world, 2018 was the fourth hottest year, preceded by 2017, 2015 and 2016.
• Already, the world’s 30 percent of the population face potentially dangerous temperatures for more than 20 days in a year. Heatwaves cause 12,000 deaths annually.
• Millions of people are at risk today from extreme heat and need equal protection from both increasing temperature and increased carbon emissions due to the increasing use of cooling units, irrespective of their economic status.
• According to an International Energy Agency (IEA) report, the global stock of air conditioners in buildings will grow to 5.6 billion by 2050, up from 1.6 billion today, which will amount to 10 new ACs sold every second for the next 30 years. This will require 3 times more electricity by that period from the 2016 level.
• In the upcoming next 20 years, India’s cooling requirement will increase by around 8 times, with AC alone consuming more than half of the total energy required for cooling in the country by 2037-38.

Global efforts for clean cooling:

The Global Cool Coalition

• The Global Cool Coalition is a unified front that links action across the Kigali Amendment, Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals. It is expected to inspire ambition, identify solutions and mobilise action to accelerate progress towards clean and efficient cooling.
• It will complement and build upon ongoing successful programmes to advance clean and efficient cooling, including, the Cooling for All Secretariat, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Programme, private sector action like the Global Cooling Prize, and other initiatives.

Kigali Amendments:

• The Kigali Amendment introduced in 2016, was the first modification to the Montreal Protocol (now ratified by 197 countries) to monitor substances that did not contribute to ozone depletion.
• In January 2019, the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol started phasing down these gases, known as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).

Montreal Protocol:

• In 1987, the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was introduced, the first international policy effort to protect the ozone.
• This treaty called for the phase out of ozone-depleting compounds like chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs).
• This proved to be a major success for the restoration for the ozone layer, which is expected to return to 1980 coverage around 2050.

Indian efforts:

National Cooling Action Plan:

• India has already developed a national cooling action plan that was launched by the Union environment ministry in March this year.
• The plan acknowledges that “there is an immense potential to rationalize the rise in the requirement for active refrigerant-based cooling in the country by the adoption of passive cooling design strategies across sectors.”

International Solar Alliance:

• The ISA’s major objectives include global deployment of over 1,000GW of solar generation capacity and mobilisation of investment of over US$ 1000 billion into solar energy by 2030.
• This will help reduce the carbon emissions from Thermal power plants.

Green India mission:

• GIM is one of the eight missions launched under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).
• The objective of the mission is to increase green cover to the extent of 5 million hectares (mha) and improve quality of existing green cover on another 5 mha, improve eco-system services like carbon sequestration, hydrological services and biodiversity

Conclusion:

This Global Coalition is a positive development, as it recognizes the importance of cooling not only as carbon emission and development issue but as a larger social equity issue. It will complement and build upon ongoing successful programs to advance clean and efficient cooling. To survive in a sustainable manner, the world needs to start looking at adaptive comfort and not just cooling.