COP 29 Ministerial Roundtable: Delivering on the Global Cooling Pledge

Low-carbon cooling has the potential to mitigate the social, economic, and environmental impacts of rising global temperatures, which continue to set annual records. The untapped potential of low-carbon cooling prompted the COP 28 Presidency to launch the Global Cooling Pledge (GCP), a collective effort to reduce cooling-related emissions by 68% by 2050 that, to date, has been signed by more than 70 countries and 60 non-state actors.

This Ministerial Roundtable sought to galvanize action on cooling and provide the space for governments, cities, and partner organizations to share their progress on implementing the GCP, including on further integrating cooling into the next round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

Opening Remarks

Moderator Graeme Maidment, Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), UK, introduced the roundtable by inviting Co-Chairs Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, United Arab Emirates, and Ana Toni, National Secretary for Climate Change and Vice Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Brazil, to make introductory remarks.

Al Dahak emphasized that cooling systems can “accelerate or hold back our race to climate resilience depending on the speed and scale of our solutions.” These systems, she added, could potentially contribute more than 10% of global projected emissions, and they risk producing a “circular dependency,” as rising temperatures produce more demand for cooling. “We must break this cycle,” Al Dahak urged, pointing to the potential of district cooling systems, such as those in Dubai, to help deliver gains on both climate mitigation and adaptation. “Mitigation and adaptation must go hand in hand, and the GCP is key to get the balance right,” she explained. Al Dahak stressed the need for countries to integrate cooling into their next round of NDCs. “We have the knowledge, resources, and will for action,” she concluded.

Toni recounted the consequences of rising temperatures, with Brazil experiencing record heat, extreme rains, droughts, wildfires, health problems, and economic damages. Toni stressed the need for “massive investment in sustainable cooling” and highlighted the incorporation of the GCP into Brazil’s latest NDC. She urged unlocking finance mechanisms and technical support to ensure “no region or community is left behind.” Toni noted that COP 30, to be hosted in Belém, Brazil, is an opportunity to tackle these challenges and “catalyze partnerships to make bold ambitions to implement the GCP.”

Inger Andersen, Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), warned that with the UNEP 2023 Emissions Gap Report showing that greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase, the global need for cooling, particularly in urban areas, will continue to grow. Increasing access to cooling, she underscored, is needed to protect human health and prevent, among others, both food and medicinal waste. She called for countries to quickly introduce cooling standards and reported on the GCP’s Annual Global Cooling Pledge Progress Report 2024. She stressed good progress towards achieving the commitment to ratify the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, with 163 signatories having already done so. She also said 55 countries have adopted an energy labeling scheme and 49 have provided minimum standards for cooling equipment. She concluded by: calling for more countries to include cooling in their updated NDCs; adopt National Cooling Action Plans; and increase financing for sustainable cooling.

Noting the importance of subnational actions to deliver on pledge implementation on the ground, Maidment then announced that 15 cities have endorsed the pledge, with another 13 indicating their intention to do so.

High-level Roundtable Dialogue

Highlighting Grenada’s work to transition to low-global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants and its early ratification of the Kigali Amendment on phasing down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), Kerryne James, Minister for Climate Resilience, the Environment and Renewable Energy, Grenada, affirmed that her country will become the 72nd signatory to the GCP. She said Grenada is incorporating cooling into its NDC and pursuing a range of cooling solutions, including building designs, behavioral changes, and renewable energy. She noted challenges regarding affordable access to low-GWP cooling, financing constraints on energy efficient systems, and access to tools for technicians. She added that solutions include, inter alia, strengthening policy frameworks, subsidies, public awareness, and private-sector collaboration.

Rachel Kyte, Special Representative for Climate, UK, said cooling is central to both mitigation—with the use of air conditioning, for example, expected to triple by 2050—as well as to adaptation solutions. She announced the UK would commit GBP 15 million of funding for implementation of the Global Cooling Pledge, including through the Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold Chain in Rwanda.

Another 18 Member State representatives then took the floor, raising a range of themes such as:

• intentions to integrate cooling into the next round of NDCs;
• changes to regulatory frameworks;
• initiatives to promote green buildings;
• the increasing efficiency of cooling technologies;
• the need stop the dumping of refrigerants and obsolete cooling technologies.

Francesco La Camera, Director General, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), said the GCP provides a “crucial framework” for ensuring sustainable cooling is accessible for all. He said IRENA is committed to, among others, promoting the dissemination of innovating cooling technologies, including in underserved communities.

Closing the roundtable, Al Dahak praised the many “synergies” identified by speakers. Anderson thanked national and subnational commitments to the GCP; expressed gratitude for countries that have ratified the Kigali Amendment and urged more to do the same; and reiterated the call to halt dumping of refrigerants and cooling technologies.

Organizers: COP 28 Presidency, UNEP, Cool Coalition

Contact:  Anya Magotra I anya.magotra@un.org

Website: https://coolcoalition.org/