Exclusive: US joins dozens of countries in backing COP28 pledge to slash cooling emissions

(Reuters, 5 Dec 2023) The United States is among at least 60 countries backing a pledge on Tuesday to cut cooling-related emissions by 2050, U.S. State Department officials said at the U.N. climate summit in Dubai.

The Global Cooling Pledge would mark the world's first collective focus on energy emissions from the cooling sector. It calls for countries to reduce by 2050 their cooling-related emissions by at least 68% compared to 2022 levels.

It's a tough task, given the cooling industry is only expected to grow as temperatures continue to climb.

With installed cooling capacity set to triple by 2050, cooling emissions are expected to surge to between 4.4 billion and 6.1 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2050, according to a report published on Tuesday by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

That would equal one-tenth of expected global emissions, the report said, and would strain electric grids.

Reuters is first to report the U.S. support, which suggests there could be a process to construct more regulations or incentives for the industry in the United States, and ramp up pressure on other countries to join.

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Reuters, 5 Dec 2023: Exclusive: US joins dozens of countries in backing COP28 pledge to slash cooling emissions

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