Facts for Prelims (FFP)
Source: DTE
Context: The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has proposed an action plan to make the global cooling sector more sustainable, aiming to reduce predicted greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2050.
- The cooling sector, vital for combatting rising temperatures, maintaining food quality, and supporting economies, currently accounts for 20% of electricity use.
- Without intervention, the installed capacity of cooling equipment is projected to triple by 2050, resulting in a doubling of electricity consumption and emissions of 4.4 to 6.1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.
- The proposed measures include passive cooling, higher energy efficiency standards, and an accelerated phasedown of climate-warming refrigerants.
- The action plan also calls for a faster phasedown of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC), exceeding the requirements of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.
