Ahead of the Glasgow Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 26), a facility has been launched to help developing countries incorporate energy-efficient, climate-friendly cooling programmes into the next round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).  

The NDC Support Facility for Efficient, Climate-Friendly Cooling was launched on 27 January 2020, by the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program (K-CEP), a philanthropic initiative to support the Kigali Amendment of the Montreal Protocol, with a focus on the energy efficiency of cooling. The new Facility will advance cooling solutions in a way that complements the Kigali Amendment, which aims to phase down the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).

The K-CEP press release explains that the demand for cooling is expected to rise dramatically with the anticipated rise in global temperatures, and the global energy demand for air conditioning will triple by 2050. More efficient, climate-friendly options for cooling are needed; otherwise, K-CEP says, “the emissions from cooling could use up most of the remaining carbon budget required to achieve the Paris target of staying below a 1.5°C rise in global temperatures within the next few decades.”

The NDC Support Facility plans to award up to USD 12 million to organizations to provide technical assistance and other support to eligible Article 5 countries (including Kigali Amendment Group 2 countries such as India) that are making new cooling commitments in their strengthened NDCs for COP 26. Up to USD 5 million of this total is earmarked for proposals requesting technical assistance for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to improve the energy efficiency of air-conditioning equipment, and USD 3.2 million will be dedicated to helping communities that are most at risk from a lack of access to cooling. [K-CEP webpage on NDC Support Facility]