Khaberni - The United Nations Environment Programme has reported that the demand for air conditioners is likely to triple globally by the year 2050, due to the increasing frequency of heatwaves, while simultaneously calling for adoption of less polluting cooling solutions.
A study titled "Global Cooling Watch," published by the United Nations Environment Programme on the sidelines of the United Nations Climate Conference (COP 30) in Belem, Brazil, revealed that "air conditioning demand might more than triple by 2050 if current trends continue."
The aforementioned study highlighted that this increase “will be due to population growth, increased wealth, more frequent severe heatwaves, and rising access amongst low-income households to less efficient, more polluting cooling systems.”
As a result, greenhouse gas emissions from air conditioners “will almost double (by 2050) compared to 2022 levels, reaching about 7.2 billion tons of CO2 equivalent by 2050,” according to forecasts by the United Nations Environment Programme.
The organization recommends widely adopting what are called "passive" solutions; such as sun shading, manual ventilation, vegetative cover, and improved insulation, in addition to other solutions like “low-energy cooling and hybrid cooling (combination of fans and low-energy air conditioners).”
The United Nations Environment Programme emphasized that nearly two-thirds of potential emissions reductions "come from passive and low-energy solutions; highlighting the importance of integrating them into national policies and urban planning."
According to the organization, these projects would “improve access to cooling for an additional three billion people by 2050,” among them vulnerable and low-income groups; but will also save “$17 trillion in cumulative energy costs by 2050.”
Estimates by the ClimateWorks Foundation suggest that three billion new air conditioners will be sold worldwide between 2025 and 2050.
