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).
→ View Full Article

layersDaily Sustainability Digest

Published about 11 hours ago



Europe’s revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive is moving sustainable construction from policy ambition to delivery obligation. National Building Renovation Plans will force member states to turn retrofit targets into funded programmes, with energy-efficient buildings, affordable housing and energy poverty now treated as linked priorities.

Decarbonising the built environment will depend on sustainable building design, low carbon design and life cycle thinking in construction that measure operational energy alongside whole life carbon, embodied carbon and building lifecycle performance.

Potential UK-EU emissions trading alignment could strengthen the carbon signal across cement, steel, glass and other emissions-intensive supply chains. That would make embodied carbon in materials, low carbon construction materials, environmental product declarations (EPDs) and whole life carbon assessment more central to procurement decisions.

A more coherent market for carbon would support net zero carbon buildings, net zero whole life carbon targets and carbon footprint reduction, while reducing opportunities for regulatory arbitrage in green construction. Delivery capacity remains the critical constraint. UK local authorities are struggling to meet planning deadlines despite higher planning performance agreement fees, exposing a gap between environmental sustainability in construction and the administrative systems needed to deliver it.

The next phase of sustainable urban development requires executable renovation plans, finance aligned with life cycle cost, stronger sustainable material specification, circular economy in construction principles, and competent public-sector capacity. Sustainable building practices will be judged less by rhetoric than by measurable carbon footprint of construction, resource efficiency in construction, end-of-life reuse in construction and progress towards carbon neutral construction at scale.

Show More

camera_altFeatured Instagram Posts:

Get your opinion heard:

Whole Life Carbon is a platform for the entire construction industry—both in the UK and internationally. We track the latest publications, debates, and events related to whole life guidance and sustainability. If you have any enquiries or opinions to share, please do get in touch.

Let's chat!
Avatar

WLC Assistant

Ask me about sustainability

Hi! I'm your Whole Life Carbon assistant. I can help you learn about sustainability, carbon assessment, and navigate our resources. How can I help you today?