International. As global temperatures hit record highs, the United Nations' Sustainable Energy for All initiative announced a new proposal to identify the challenges and opportunities of providing access to sustainable and affordable refrigeration solutions for all.
The new initiative called "Cooling for All" will focus on how to incorporate the growing cooling demands that can reach everyone in a clean energy transition and in turn support faster progress towards achieving the goals of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol agreed last year in Rwanda.
The work of the initiative will therefore create a direct intersection between three internationally agreed goals for the first time: the Paris Climate Agreement; the Sustainable Development Goals; and the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol – with one of the key objectives of the amendment to limit the consumption and production of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
An important part of the initiative that will support greater and more informed action will be the Global Cooling for All Panel. The panel will bring together a group of high-level leaders from government, academia, civil society, business and finance leaders who together better understand the challenges and opportunities of providing access to refrigeration solutions for everyone.
The group will be co-chaired by two governments dealing with issues related to access to cooling in their own countries. The co-chairs will lead the groups to produce a comprehensive report offering the evidence, suggested solutions and understanding of how to accelerate the adoption of cooling solutions to create sustainable cooling access for all, including the poorest countries and their citizens who are often affected by disproportionality.
Rachel Kyte, Executive Director of Sustainable Energy for All and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), who will act as secretary of the global panel, said: "As the world grows dangerously warm, access to refrigeration will become the difference between life and death in some parts of the world suffering from extreme heat. A global clean energy transition is already underway that can provide affordable, safe and sustainable energy for all. We must now incorporate cooling for all needs within this transition, while staying on track to achieve our global climate and energy goals."
Source: www.se4all.org
