Earth Today | UNEP publishes cooling guidance
Published:Thursday | July 10, 2025 | 12:10 AM
THE UNITED Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has published guidance on cooling – a significant, albeit frequently underestimated challenge in the global response to a changing climate.
The report comes at a time when some 1.1 billion people remain without cooling, heightening the risk to not only public health but also food security and economic stability amid soaring global temperatures. It also comes as the cooling sector accounts for some seven per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and is projected to double by 2050, if left unchecked.
“The impacts of inadequate cooling are also not gender-neutral; women, especially in low-income and rural communities, face distinct challenges and vulnerabilities that must be addressed. Addressing this dual challenge – reducing emissions while expanding access – requires the urgent and effective integration of sustainable cooling measures into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and national climate strategies,” reads the report titled Nationally Determined Contributions cooling guide: Guidance for integrating the cooling sector into NDCs.
“Sustainable cooling offers a powerful dual benefit: mitigating climate change while enhancing resilience. The transition to energy-efficient technologies, adoption of low-global warming potential refrigerants and implementation of passive cooling strategies could reduce cooling-related emissions by up to 60 per cent by 2050,” it added.
According to the guide, “simultaneously, expanding access to sustainable cooling protects vulnerable populations, including from the dangers of extreme heat” while also minimising food loss by up to 30 per cent, and strengthening healthcare systems through reliable cold chains.
“To maximise impact, integrating gender-responsive approaches into cooling strategies is crucial for ensuring equitable access and enhancing resilience,” it noted.
To get there, it prescribes a six-stage methodology that allows for the effective and sustainable incorporation of cooling into NDCs. NDCs are individual country commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that fuel climate change.
Climate change, triggered by the warming of the planet associated with the increasing emissions of substances including carbon dioxide from the use of oil and gas use, holds a range of far-reaching risks and impacts – and, in particular, for small island developing states, such as those of the Caribbean.
They include extreme drought and hurricane events, as well as rising sea levels and coastal erosion, which are already being experienced in the Caribbean, with projections for worsening scenarios if emissions remain unchecked.