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The explosion in demand for air conditioning, refrigerators and other cold systems can worsen the climate emergency due to a lack of sustainable solutions, points out a report published Wednesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The volume of this sector, dominated by air conditioning but which also includes refrigerators, cold chains and transport, will increase sevenfold in Africa and fourfold in Asia by 2050, underlines this report from the UN agency for environment (UNEP) and the IFC, the private sector arm of the World Bank.
“These nations are particularly vulnerable to the deadly effects of rising temperatures and are in urgent need of cooling solutions“, notes the Director General of the IFC, Makhtar Diop, in a press release.
Often located in already hot areas, developing countries are seeing their temperatures rise but are also experiencing a sharp increase in their population and urbanization, as well as economic expansion which supports this demand.
Their emissions from cooling systems accounted for two-thirds of the global total in 2022 and are expected to rise to 80% in 2050, the report notes.
On a global scale, rising temperatures cause deaths and economic hazards while the lack of cold chains spoils vaccines, affecting infant mortality, and contributes to post-harvest losses, a scourge for food security, notes the text. .
“Staying cool is an essential need for both healthy communities and a healthy environment. However, we must avoid creating a vicious circle where we meet the demand for cold with solutions that will warm the planet even more.“, says Inger Andersen, executive director of UNEP, headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya.
This energy-intensive sector already consumes 20% of global electricity and this demand will triple by 2050, says the report.
UNEP and IFC, united within a “Cool Coalition” of 130 partners, are advocating the development of sustainable and highly energy efficient solutions, which will be able to reduce related emissions by half and significantly reduce energy bills. electricity.
The two organizations are therefore calling on the private sector to invest in a market which is expected to increase from 300 to 600 billion dollars per year by 2050 in developing countries.
They also point out the importance of developing so-called “passive” solutions, such as reflective materials or tree plantings to provide shade.