The United Nations launched the Global Cooling Pledge at COP28 signed by 63 nations, which have committed to reducing cooling emissions by 68% by 2050, saving $17 trillion in energy costs and eliminating billions of tonnes of CO2.
Despite its ambitious goals, the pledge has attracted less support compared to other COP28 commitments focused on renewable energy and energy efficiency. Notably, it lacks participation from some of the largest cooling emitters worldwide.
Cooling systems indispensable: Conry Tech CEO
Sam Ringwaldt, CEO of Conry Tech, emphasised the growing indispensability of cooling systems due to escalating heat levels driven by the climate crisis. He highlighted the necessity to balance the increasing demand for cooling in developing countries with the urgent need to mitigate its environmental impact.
“This is the first COP to address the staggering global energy use and emissions of cooling beyond refrigerants. 63 signatories represent a strong start, but with India and China not expected to sign, this is a major blow to the UN’s global cooling ambitions.
"For hot developing countries with millions or billions of citizens desperately seeking access to cooling, the pledge is not fit for purpose. They believe they cannot decrease net cooling emissions by 2050 given their current low cooling uptake. They have also baulked at the perceived financial costs of installing modern, more energy-efficient cooling technologies,” Ringwaldt said.
“Access to affordable efficient cooling needs to be a stronger focus in the pledge. We cannot rely on G20 nations upgrading while everyone else adopts inefficient systems.
"Governments should be providing support to companies developing tech in this space as it will save huge expenditure on grid upgrades as removing air con demand frees up energy for all the other sectors that are electrifying.
“The biggest adopters of cooling today, such as the US and Australia, cannot possibly meet their net-zero targets if they do not address cooling emissions.
"In Australia, cooling consumes 25% of all electricity generated in the country and, in the summer months, puts immense strain on the grid. In 2019, extreme summer energy use contributed to blackouts in Victoria. We urgently need to reduce cooling electricity use and associated emissions.”
Ringwaldt advocates for a stronger emphasis on accessible and efficient cooling within the pledge. He urges G20 nations to not only upgrade their systems but also to support other countries in adopting efficient technologies, which would also alleviate the need for costly power grid upgrades.
National cooling plan
Sami Zheng, chief operating officer of AIRAH, advocated for a National Cooling Action Plan in Australia, recognising the HVAC&R sector's substantial energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Zheng suggested that Australia, being one of the earliest adopters of air-to-air heat pumps, had both the opportunity and responsibility to lead in reducing cooling emissions.
Zheng also stressed the importance of passive design, building maintenance and workforce education in reducing the reliance on cooling systems. He concluded that achieving net-zero in the HVAC&R sector was crucial for Australia's overall climate goals, emphasizing that the technology for decarbonization was already available.
“AIRAH has advocated to our government for a National Cooling Action Plan. The HVAC&R sector uses almost a quarter of Australia’s generated electricity and contributes about 12% of our greenhouse gas emissions, so it warrants special attention.
“A combination of market factors and climate requirements has seen us become one of the world’s biggest and earliest adopters of air-to-air heat pumps, such as split systems.
"We are also at the front of the line when it comes to electrifying the built environment. And we will be dealing with extreme weather more than most other countries.
"We not only have a huge opportunity to reduce our own emissions, we can share our experiences with other countries to help them in their decarbonisation journeys.
“There are lots of ways Australia can reduce its cooling emissions. And many of these are not about new technology.
"Good passive design and quality building envelopes are the starting points – if you can minimise cooling and heating loads, you won’t need to rely so heavily on cooling and heating equipment.
"Maintaining equipment also makes a huge difference to its performance and longevity. And making sure we have a well-sized and well-educated workforce – supported by an effective and nationally harmonised licensing regime – would make a massive difference too.
“HVAC&R uses around 25% of generated electricity in Australia and produces about 12% of our greenhouse gas emissions, so there is no way we can get to net-zero without addressing cooling.
"Moreover, unlike other sectors, such as manufacturing, we have the technology to decarbonise now. HVAC&R and the whole built environment must get to net-zero well before 2050 to compensate for the harder-to-abate parts of our economy.