Cooling is a basic need – from refrigerated food and vaccines to better living conditions in hot climates. The positive effects of cooling, however, come with a downside. The cooling sector is a massive GHG emitter. This is due to appliances that are not energy-efficient and the high global warming potential of commonly used, synthetic refrigerants. Many air conditioners and refrigerators contain substances such as HFOs and HFCs which are up to 15,000 times more harmful to the climate than CO2.
Carbon emissions from space cooling have tripled since 1990 and are continuing to surge, with space cooling set to become the strongest driver of growth from buildings electricity over the next 30 years (IEA, 2018). Deep transformation of the sector is needed to accelerate the pathway to a healthy, resilient, zero emissions future.
This side event will address the following questions:
- How are the climate goals of the Paris Agreement and the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol linked?
- Why do we need to transform our cooling sectors and how can we do it? (From a Southern African and a global perspective)
- How can we use carbon finance to encourage private sector investment in the cooling sector?
The event takes place virtually via MS Teams and is organised by GIZ Proklima on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, in close cooperation with GFA consulting group.
Time [CEST] | Topic | Speaker |
17:00 – 17:05 | Introduction to the side event | Julia Schabel |
17:05 – 17:20 | Official Welcome | Sebastian Schnatz & Silke Karcher (German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety) |
17:20 – 17:30 | The growing importance of sustainable cooling solutions for Southern Africa | TBC |
17:30 – 17:45 | Making cooling a hot topic: Why “Green Cooling” is the only long-term solution | Philipp Denzinger (GIZ Proklima) |
17:45 – 18:00 | Carbon finance for leveraging private sector investments in the cooling sector | Joachim Schnurr & Martin Burian (GFA Consulting Group) |
18:00 – 18:30 | Discussion & Closing | All |