GS 3: Environment |Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation

Why in News?

The first-ever global coalition on clean and efficient cooling was launched at the First Global Conference on Synergies between the 2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Global Cool Coalition:

• The Global Cool Coalition is a unified front that links action across the Kigali Amendment, Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals.
• It is expected to inspire ambition, identify solutions and mobilise action to accelerate progress towards clean and efficient cooling. Besides the UN, it is supported by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL). It includes government officials from Chile, Rwanda, Denmark as well as leaders from civil society, research and academia.

Significance:

• Throughout the world, 2018 was the fourth hottest year, preceded by 2017, 2015 and 2016.
• With increasing incomes and urbanisation, number of air conditioning units across the globe is set to increase from 1.2 billion to 4.5 billion by 2050, and India alone may account for one billion units. In the next 20 years, India’s cooling requirement will increase by eight times, with air conditioners alone consuming more than half of the total energy required for cooling in the country by 2037-38.
• India has already developed a national cooling action plan that was launched by the Union environment ministry on March 8, 2019.