Demand for air-conditioning set to triple by 2050, warns UN
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Checks being carried out on an air-con unit in Belem, Brazil, ahead of the UN COP30 climate summit in the city.
PHOTO: AFP
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- UN warns global air conditioning demand could triple by 2050 due to rising populations, wealth and extreme heat, increasing emissions.
- UNEP urges sustainable cooling like passive solutions (better designs, shading, ventilation) to cut emissions by 64% by 2050.
- Cooling access is “essential infrastructure”, says UNEP chief, but air conditioning alone won't solve the heat crisis, especially in Africa and South Asia.
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GENEVA - Global demand for air-conditioning could more than triple by 2050, the United Nations warned on Nov 11, calling for more sustainable cooling solutions.
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said demand could surge due to increases in population and wealth around the world, combined with more extreme heat.
Rising demand for more polluting and inefficient cooling systems “would almost double cooling-related greenhouse gas emissions over 2022 levels”, said UNEP.
UNEP launched its Global Cooling Watch 2025 report on the sidelines of the COP30 UN climate summit in Belem in the Brazilian Amazon.
“Installed cooling capacity is on a trajectory to triple by 2050... Yet, billions will still lack adequate protection from heat. We must reimagine cooling – not as a source of emissions, but as a cornerstone of heat resilience and sustainable development,” it said.
The most rapid growth in cooling demand is projected in Africa and South Asia.
“As deadly heatwaves become more regular and extreme, access to cooling must be treated as essential infrastructure alongside water, energy and sanitation,” UNEP chief Inger Andersen said in a statement.
“But we cannot air-condition our way out of the heat crisis, which would drive greenhouse gas emissions higher and raise costs.”
UNEP highlighted so-called “passive cooling” options, including better wall and roof designs, shading, solar off-grid solutions and ventilation.
The potential impact on indoor temperatures from passive cooling strategies range from 0.5 deg C to 8 deg C.
“Passive, energy efficient and nature-based solutions can help meet our growing cooling needs and keep people, food chains and economies safe from heat as we pursue global climate goals,” said Ms Andersen.
The Cooling Report suggested that adopting such measures could reduce emissions to 64 per cent below the levels otherwise expected in 2050. AFP
