Global demand for air conditioning is forecast to nearly triple by 2050, prompting the launch of a new UN-backed roadmap for sustainable cooling and heat resilience.
The measures were unveiled earlier this month at the Global Cooling Pledge Assembly 2026 in Singapore, where governments, cities, industry leaders and philanthropic foundations set out a package of initiatives aimed at accelerating action on cooling technology and protecting people from extreme heat.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said the number of air conditioners worldwide is expected to reach 5.6bn by 2050, up from around 2bn today, raising concerns over energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions if the shift is not managed sustainably.
The Assembly also marked the launch of the inaugural Cool Leaders awards, recognising leadership on sustainable cooling and heat resilience. The first recipients are Singapore, for its work on passive cooling and heat resilience; the United Arab Emirates, for district cooling and its role in advancing cooling within global climate policy; and Dong Mingzhu, chairwoman of Gree Electric Appliances, for the development of low-carbon cooling technologies including the company’s Zero Carbon Source air-conditioning system.
Inger Andersen, executive director of UNEP, said: “The Global Cooling Pledge was created to address rising cooling demand and escalating heat risks through passive cooling solutions, super-efficient technologies and climate-friendly refrigerants. Three years later, the world has never understood the danger of extreme heat better. The urgent challenge ahead of us is rapidly scaling sustainable cooling solutions that protect people, strengthen resilience and reduce emissions.”
Brazil, Cambodia and Côte d’Ivoire have joined the Nature for Cooling Challenge, a competition run by UNEP and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) to identify and support projects using urban forests, parks, green roofs and other nature-based measures to reduce peak summer temperatures. The initiative is backed by a US$3 million grant from the Global Environment Facility, alongside US$33 million in co-financing, and organisers say the approaches involved can cut peak temperatures by up to 5C.
Governments at the Assembly also began work on the Global Roadmap on Heat Resilience for a Warming World, a framework intended to help countries protect essential services – including schools, hospitals, workplaces and energy infrastructure – from extreme heat while reducing the climate impact of cooling.
A new Manufacturing Platform was also introduced, convened under the Cool Coalition and run by UNEP’s United for Efficiency programme. It brings together governments and manufacturers with the aim of increasing the availability of efficient cooling equipment and accelerating the shift to low- and ultra-low-Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerants. Gree has joined the platform to support work on energy efficiency and ultra-low-GWP refrigerant technology.
The Assembly held the first meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee on Cooling, set up to track and accelerate implementation of the Global Cooling Pledge. Denmark, Italy, Switzerland and the UK are among the government contributors mobilising financial support for the pledge, alongside philanthropic funders including the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, the ClimateWorks Foundation’s Clean Cooling Collaborative programme, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Sequoia Climate Foundation.
Image credit: Juergen Faelchle/Shutterstock
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