The newsletter covers the latest cooling news and research updates; you can see previous editions here. Happy reading! Gemma Watson
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Updates from the Future of Cooling Research Team
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Launch of Product Efficiency Call to Action
The Future of Cooling Programme is pleased to announce that we are endorsing the Product Efficiency Call to Action, launched by the Super-Efficient Equipment & Appliance Deployment (SEAD) Initiative, the Government of the United Kingdom Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, the International Energy Agency (IEA), and CLASP.
Improving the energy efficiency of everyday appliances and equipment will be critical on the path to net zero emissions by 2050. Just four appliances—air conditioners, industrial motor systems, lighting, and refrigerators—are responsible for 40% of global electricity consumption. The Product Efficiency Call to Action aims to double the efficiency of those four appliances by 2030.
Now, a growing network of 20 civil society and environmental organizations are calling on governments to sign the Call to Action in advance of COP26. By endorsing the Call to Action, we hope to garner the groundswell of support needed to raise the ambition of climate change commitments, which currently fall short of the 1.5 degree Celsius target of the Paris Agreement.
The Call to Action has the potential to be the largest energy efficiency commitment in history. To date, 10 governments have signed the Call to Action, with more endorsements expected in advance of COP26 in November.
For more information please click here.
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Cooling for COP26 Webinars
In September and October, the programme hosted a free webinar series leading up to COP26. The webinar series was motivated by the need for high-profile and broad-reaching conversations on tackling cooling as a system. It covered each of the themes that link to the Programme's framework on sustainable cooling, including: social interactions and cooling cultures; cooling technology and innovation; models for sustainable cold chains; circular cooling economy; infrastructure design for sustainable cooling; and finally, cooling for climate action. Speakers included Amory Lovins, Founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute, and Kate Hughes, Director of International Climate Change at BEIS. All of the webinars were recorded and can be found on our website. Click here to check them out.
The team have been working with E3G on policy briefs for each webinar that share key policy recommendations and action points from the series. These recommendations and action points will be shared with critical stakeholders in the cooling sector to foster a more sustainable future. You can read them here.
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Have you met the Future of Cooling Research Team?
You can 'visit' the research team here and find out more about their research focus and role within the Programme. |
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Calling all MSc & DPhil Students
Could our data be of use to you?
The Cooling Programme has a lot of data needing to be crunched, particularly within the Healthcare Work Package of the programme. If you would like to find out more about the datasets available and how you could utilise them within your own research, whilst also providing valuable insight to the programme, please get in touch with us to explore possible opportunities.
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Pathway to Net Zero Cooling Product List
The climate impact of cooling equipment, including fridges and air-conditioners, is two-fold: they use huge amounts of electricity and often rely on super-polluting refrigerant gases such as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
In 2020, as part of the work of the COP26 High Level Champions, a Climate Action Pathway for Net-Zero Cooling was launched by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA).
This product list has been designed to support the netzero cooling transition and demonstrate the feasibility of urgent action. The product list provides a selection of products across all major cooling sectors, with a unique focus on ultra-low Global Warming Potential (GWP) natural refrigerants alongside appliance energy efficiency to help businesses, governments and consumers around the globe make sustainable cooling choices.
Further research and development will continue to improve the energy efficiency and cost competitiveness of products compatible with the pathway to net-zero. Some of the subsectors discussed in this report are much further along in this process than others which may require policy and industry intervention to accelerate the transition. Detailed information about the products on this list is available at EIA’s net-zero cooling product list website.
You can find more information here.
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Late may be better than never for holding COP26, but action on cooling cannot wait any longer
In a recent blog post, Noah Horowitz (Director, Clean Cooling Collaborative), gives his battle cry ahead of COP26 for urgent action on cooling. As global temperatures rise, there’s increased urgency to curb greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while also building resilience to our warming world. Action on cooling is a vital part of both these tasks, and the time to act is now. But how can stakeholders support the global transition to efficient, climate-friendly cooling?
According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), 2020 was 1.2°C hotter than pre-industrial temperatures, which is getting dangerously close to the internationally-agreed ambition to minimize global warming to 1.5°C. In addition, the frequency, duration, and intensity of extreme heat events are on the rise, as are many other impacts of the climate crisis. Less than 100 miles from where I live in California, countless communities have fallen victim to an unprecedented number of large forest fires, with similar occurrences happening all across the globe, from Australia to Greece, and Turkey to Canada.
It’s becoming increasingly clear that we are in much need of bold action, and what better occasion to commit to such action than the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), which starts in just under four weeks.
Following a year-long delay of the conference due to Covid-19, there’s been growing pressure on governments and other stakeholders to make ambitious climate commitments and to follow through on pledges with timely action. This must include meaningful action on cooling, which is currently responsible for around 10% of global GHG emissions. Emissions from the sector are expected to rise with the growing demand for cooling, as 3 billion additional new room air conditioners (ACs) are projected to be in use by 2050. As we see this growing demand, ensuring equitable access to clean cooling solutions is vital for climate mitigation and building resilience to our warming world.
You can read the blog post in full here.
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The cheap way to mitigate extreme heat in India
Heatwaves are becoming more common in India due to global warming. This BBC report shows the impact of low-cost passive cooling strategies to mitigate the impact of extreme heat events in India's houses. Solar protection (window film, dynamic windows, shutters, overhangs, trees) and solar reflectance (cool roofs, paint) are very powerful strategies to reduce the solar heat gains into the building, mitigating peak temperatures. The video shows the impact of passive cooling solutions based on solar reflective paints to reflect the heat that comes from the sun. The implementation of white paints was able to reduce peak temperatures by 3-4ºC. Heatwaves are becoming more common in India due to global warming. There’s nowhere to hide especially if you live in a crowded city like Ahmedabad.
Click here for more information
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Healthy Climate Prescription: An urgent call for climate action from the health community
Ahead of COP26, the health community has published an open letter calling for climate action. The letter, directed at politicians and signed by the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, starts with stating that “the climate crisis is the single biggest health threat facing humanity”. What follows are several examples on how climate change has already negatively impacted health. Thirteen deaths per minute are caused by air pollution globally. Vector-borne, water-borne and food-borne diseases are on the rise as a result of weather and climate changes. Disruptions to the lives of millions is caused by extreme weather events (floods, storms, and heatwaves). Malnutrition and food security issues are expanding because of disruptions to the food systems. The livelihoods of people are wrecked in many parts of the world due to rising sea levels. And all these issues have a serious impact on mental health. The letter ends by demanding coordinated global action “now to protect the planet, and the health, wellbeing and prosperity of all people alive today and for generations to come”.
Click here for more information
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Do you have something 'cool'
to share in our next issue?
Please feel free to reply to this email with any news, funding calls or events related to cooling which you would like to share and that can feature in the next issue.
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We tweet about all items related to cooling, including our own work researching and shaping the unprecedented future growth in global cooling demand. Please follow us! @OxfordCooling
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Thank you for your time! Do get in touch if you have anything 'Cool' to share with us. Until next time!
Gemma Watson
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