A new report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) has flagged the huge potential of the HVAC&R sector to reduce global emissions.

Cooling Emissions and Policy Synthesis Report notes that coordinated international action on energy-efficient, climate-friendly cooling could avoid as much as 460 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions over the next four decades.

It sets out 10 high-level approaches, ranging from national cooling action plans and building codes, to phasing-down the use of HFC refrigerants, better technician training and more sustainable cold chains. The report says countries can institutionalize many of these actions by integrating them into their implementation of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.

The report also highlights the importance of making cooling more energy- efficient through measures such as Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) and labelling.

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