- This is the message from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which launched its Global Cooling Watch 2025 report on November 11, 2025.
Adopting sustainable cooling with a strong focus on passive techniques, low-energy systems, and hybrid solutions that combine fans and air conditioners consuming little or no power could be a game-changer. It’s not just about comfort. It’s about cutting greenhouse gas emissions, saving trillions of dollars, and expanding life-saving cooling access to those who need it most.
This is the message from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which launched its Global Cooling Watch 2025 report on November 11, 2025. The findings reveal that under a business-as-usual trajectory, global cooling demand could more than triple by 2050. The drivers? Rising populations, growing wealth, intensifying heatwaves, and more low-income households gaining access to inefficient, polluting cooling technologies.
But there’s a better path. If sustainable cooling is widely adopted, emissions could drop by 64% that’s 2.6 billion tons of CO₂ equivalent compared to expected 2050 levels. And if paired with rapid decarbonization of the global power sector, residual cooling emissions could plummet by up to 97%.
This vision aligns with one of the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (COP30’s) central aims: reaffirming the global commitment to the 1.5°C target. Held in Belém, Brazil, from November 10 to 21, the conference has drawn world leaders, negotiators, scientists, and activists to push for accelerated climate action.
The UN Secretary-General António Guterres has made it clear: the 1.5°C goal is non-negotiable. “The challenge is immense, but the choices are clear. We need to move faster – and move together. Let’s ignite a decade of Climate action acceleration and delivery,” he has urged.
Guterres believes the world is better equipped than ever to fight the climate crisis. “Thanks to the renewables revolution, the clean-energy economy is no longer tomorrow’s promise,” he said. But he also warned that current plans and policies still lead us toward a future with temperatures clearly above 2°C an existential threat for millions.
“Ten years after its adoption, the Paris Agreement has helped shift global warming pathways away from a devastating 4–5°C future,” he said. “Now, we need an outcome that puts people and the planet first.”
As COP30 unfolds, sustainable cooling stands out as one of the most practical, scalable, and urgent solutions on the table. The question is: will the world seize it?
