Publications & Videos

Around 3 million reefer containers are currently shipped around the world, and the number is growing annually. Reefer containers are vital for trading chilled and frozen products globally. On their journey however, reefer containers contribute notably to the emissions released by the container shipping industry (236 million tCO2eq. in 2018) and the reefer sector is projected to grow rapidly up to +8% p.a..
 

10 new Air Conditioners (ACs) are being sold every second for the next 30 years. If not addressed, energy demand from ACs will more than triple by 2050, equal to China’s electricity demand today (IEA 2018). Split ACs represent the largest growing sub-sector. At the same time, they are responsible for the largest share of energy, of HCFC and HFC consumption and therefore of CO2-eq emissions.


 

Every year, an estimated 14 percent of total food produced is lost in the field, and 17 percent is wasted at the point of retail or consumption. This is enough food to feed approximately 1 billion hungry people around the world. At the same time, the rotting groceries lead to considerable amounts of methane emissions.
One major solution to food loss and waste is increasing access to refrigeration, ensuring that food is kept at suitable temperature conditions from harvest to plate. The experts will highlight the use of sustainable cold chains in the Global South with natural refrigerants, combining energy efficiency and renewable energy sources.

 

The refrigeration and air conditioning sector is responsible for up to 10% of all global emissions – and it is growing rapidly. The transition to Green Cooling technologies can decrease these emissions significantly. Consequently, it is pivotal to develop cooling sector specific mitigation targets and measures that are integrated in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC).   


 

The global demand for refrigeration and air conditioning is increasing, leading to an increase in environmentally-friendly appliances and products containing high warming potential substances. These substances, known as Ozon Depleting Substances (ODS) and Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), emit around 1.5 Gt CO2 annually. The Climate and Ozone Protection Alliance (COPA) aims to address this issue by working together on solutions for ODS and HFC banks, contributing to the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global warming.

The refrigeration and air conditioning sector is responsible for up to 10% of all global emissions. This is due to its huge energy consumption and the high global warming potential of many common refrigerants. At the same time the demand for cooling is rising steadily. The good news: the emissions can be reduced significantly by using Green Cooling technologies. Green Cooling is based on natural refrigerants and energy efficiency.  

This side event not only showed the significance of the cooling sector for mitigation and adaptation but also presented the available Green Cooling technologies.