HEAT has substantially contributed to a new publication by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Cool Coalition that provides countries with guidance on integrating sustainable cooling into their national climate commitments.
The guide, titled “Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) Cooling Guide: Guidance for integrating the cooling sector into NDCs,” was launched at the Bonn Climate Conference in June 2025.
Addressing a Growing Challenge
Cooling systems currently account for 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions and could double their impact by 2050 without intervention. At the same time, over 1.1 billion people worldwide lack access to cooling services. Sustainable cooling measures could reduce cooling-related emissions by up to 60% by 2050.
The guide covers methods for transitioning to energy-efficient technologies and low-global warming potential refrigerants and discusses approaches to balance emission reductions with expanded access to cooling. It provides a six-stage methodology for countries to integrate cooling into their climate plans, covering baseline definition, target setting, and monitoring systems. It emphasizes approaches that balance emission reductions with expanded access to cooling services.
The guide’s release comes ahead of COP30 in Brazil, where sustainable cooling will be a priority topic for international climate negotiations.
Collaborative Development
The work was developed by HEAT authors in collaboration with the UNEP-led Cool Coalition NDC Working Group, including organizations such as the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), Clean Cooling Collaborative (CCC), Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The guide incorporates case studies from countries including Cambodia, Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam.
Read more and download the full guide: NDCs Cooling Guide: Guidance for integrating the cooling sector into NDCs
Listen to the related interview with HEAT managing direcotor Dietram Oppelt (in German): Nachhaltiges Kühlen: UN-Report weist Wege zu effizienterer Klimatechnik
