NDCs cooling guide: Guidance for integrating the cooling sector into NDCs

United Nations 1 year ago

Cooling is one of the biggest untapped opportunities to deliver climate, health, and development gains together. While the sector already contributes seven per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and could double that share by 2050, over one billion people still lack access to life-saving cooling for health, food security, and medicine. This guide supports governments in confronting this challenge by integrating sustainable cooling into their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The NDC Cooling Guidelines offer a six-stage, step-by-step framework, supported by country case studies, to help policymakers assess hydrofluorocarbon and energy-related emissions, set sector-specific targets, and develop fully costed National Cooling Action Plans (NCAPs). The Guidelines emphasize Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS), Kigali-compliant refrigerant phase-down, passive and nature-based solutions, as well as climate-responsive urban planning. These actions are underpinned by cross-ministerial coordination, a robust Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system to track progress, and a strong focus on expanding equitable access. Together, they enable countries to integrate cooling measures into both adaptation and mitigation pathways. The NDC Cooling Guidelines were developed collaboratively by the UNEP Cool Coalition NDC Working Group, with contributions from the American University in Cairo; Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC); Clean Cooling Collaborative (CCC); Collaborative Labeling and Appliance Standards Program (CLASP); Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Proklima; the Ozone Secretariat; Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL); United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre (UNEP-CCC); and UNEP United for Efficiency (U4E).
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layersDaily Sustainability Digest

Published about 11 hours ago



Corporate intent is shifting decisively from narrative to tangible delivery in decarbonising the built environment. Over a hundred global firms are urging governments to accelerate electrification, identifying it as the foundation of net zero carbon buildings and sustainable construction, where all‑electric plant, heat pumps and renewable systems underpin low carbon design. The momentum reflects a broader transformation in environmental sustainability in construction, with developers recognising that reducing the carbon footprint of construction and managing Whole Life Carbon are now intrinsic to competitiveness. Businesses emphasise Whole Life Carbon Assessment and Life Cycle Cost planning as essential frameworks for decarbonising the built environment, though uncertainty in policy continues to restrain progress.

Digital and AI‑enabled platforms are moving from pilot scale into mainstream sustainable building design and operations. Supported by international climate bodies, these systems enhance resource efficiency in construction, optimising materials and reducing embodied carbon through real‑time tracking. Smart tools for lifecycle assessment and eco‑design for buildings are now central to sustainable building practices, where data informs low‑impact specifications and integration of renewable building materials. Pre‑demolition audits, once procedural, have become key to circular economy in construction pathways, unlocking end‑of‑life reuse in construction and supporting circular construction strategies that align with BREEAM and BREEAM v7 standards. Regulators increasingly view such initiatives as vital to compliance with Circular Economy requirements and sustainable material specification.

Innovation in materials science is matching the policy rhetoric. Engineers are advancing low carbon building concepts and developing low embodied carbon materials such as green concrete, part of a wider shift towards eco‑friendly construction and green building materials that strengthen the performance of net zero whole life carbon projects. Firms adopting precision‑led design and evaluating building lifecycle performance demonstrate the sector’s evolution from experimental to scalable green construction. Design strategies grounded in life cycle thinking in construction are reducing the environmental impact of construction while promoting carbon neutral construction ambitions. The construction sector is entering a measurable transition where sustainability, innovation and cost transparency converge to define the next decade of sustainable urban development.

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