The ASEAN Cooling Summit brought together leaders from business, government, civil society and academia to consider how to sustainably meet growing demand for air-conditioning in South-east Asia.
Summit discussions were based on a study that reported on consumer awareness of air-conditioning, implications for sustainable development, and cooling technologies available to mitigate climate impacts.
29 January 2018: Participants to the first ‘Cooling Summit’ for members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) discussed how to promote the use of energy-efficient technologies for air conditioning in tropical countries. Co-organized by the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program (K-CEP), Eco-Business, and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the Summit brought together leaders from business, government, civil society and academia to consider how to sustainably meet growing demand for air-conditioning in Southeast Asia.
The rising demand for air-conditioning in emerging economies of the region could lead to a substantive increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from higher household electricity consumption and the use of potent GHGs, such as hydroflourocarbons, as cooling agents. While energy-efficient technologies using alternative cooling agents are available, their widespread adoption faces barriers, including low awareness or lack of financing.
Summit participants identified solutions to addressing these barriers based on a white paper titled, ‘Freezing in the Tropics: ASEAN’s Air-con Conundrum,’ produced by K-CEP and Eco-Business, and released during the Summit. The publication reports on attitudes and awareness among consumers regarding air-conditioning, their implications for sustainable development, and technologies available to mitigate climate impacts. A case-study from Indonesia provides an overview of the challenges to increase energy efficiency. The study concludes that there are many ways for governments to influence public attitudes towards air-conditioning and set incentives for the use of energy-efficient and climate-friendly technologies.
The first ASEAN Cooling Summit, held on 29 January 2018, was organized as part of UNEP’s and K-CEP’s efforts to support implementation of the Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol. K-CEP is a philanthropic collaboration launched in 2017 to support the Kigali Amendment, while Eco-Business is a media company working on clean technology, smart cities, responsible business and sustainable development community. [UNEP Press Release] [Publication: Freezing in the Tropics: ASEAN’s Air-con Conundrum]