The need to cool the planet has become one of the greatest environmental challenges of the 21st century. According to the new Global Cooling Watch 2025 report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the global demand for cooling could triple by 2050 if the current trend continues.
This accelerated growth, driven by rising temperatures, urban development, and unequal access to technology, threatens to generate more pollution and exacerbate the global energy crisis.
If urgent measures are not adopted, emissions from the use of air conditioning and refrigerators could reach 7.2 billion tons of greenhouse gases by 2050.
This would be almost double the current levels, putting enormous pressure on power grids and compromising the global climate goals. The report proposes a profound transformation: a Sustainable Cooling Pathway to reduce emissions and ensure equitable access to more efficient systems.
A green path to cool the planet
UNEP warns that cooling should not be limited to air conditioning. The future lies in hybrid solutions, passive systems, and low-consumption technologies that allow cooling without harming the environment.
Measures such as thermal insulation, green urban design, and the use of clean refrigerants could reduce sector emissions by up to 64%. Combined with the decarbonization of power grids, these strategies could decrease the climate impact of cooling by 97%.
In this way, a balance between thermal comfort and sustainability would be achieved, ensuring that access to coolness does not become a new source of environmental inequality. The report also considers cooling an essential service, on par with drinking water or energy, vital for public health and food security.
The “Mutirão” against extreme heat
Inspired by this vision, the Mutirão Contra o Calor Extremo initiative seeks to coordinate global efforts to tackle the thermal crisis. Led by the Brazilian presidency of COP30 and the Cool Coalition, this network brings together 185 cities, 83 organizations, and 72 countries committed to the transition to sustainable cooling.
The goal is to promote policies that prioritize energy efficiency, equity, and urban resilience in the face of increasing heat waves. Despite the progress, significant gaps remain.
Only 54 countries have comprehensive policies that simultaneously address efficiency, the transition to clean refrigerants, and passive solutions. The most vulnerable regions, such as Africa and Asia-Pacific, need urgent technical and financial support to not be left out of this climate transformation.
Cooling with intelligence, not pollution
The UNEP report estimates that nearly two-thirds of the emission reductions could be achieved through passive and low-consumption systems. These solutions would allow the extension of access to cooling to an additional 3 billion people by 2050, ensuring thermal well-being and protection against increasingly deadly heat waves.
Moreover, their global adoption would generate savings of up to 43 trillion dollars in energy costs and electrical infrastructure. Sustainable cooling represents a dual opportunity: to protect people from extreme heat and alleviate the burden on the planet.
The challenge is not only technological but also social and ecological: to cool without destroying, to modernize without polluting, to adapt without excluding. The change has already begun, and its success will depend on the collective will to transform the way the world faces heat.
Ecological and social benefits of a cooler future
Adopting sustainable cooling would drastically reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, it would allow vulnerable communities to access safe means to preserve food, medicines, and well-being.
Passive solutions, such as green roofs, reflective materials, and natural ventilation, would also improve urban air quality and reduce energy consumption. Economically, efficient systems would create new green jobs and strengthen technological innovation.
Every degree avoided through sustainable solutions represents energy saved and lives protected from extreme heat. Thus, sustainable cooling is not just a technical option but a tool for climate justice and global survival.
