Singapore was among 185 of the world’s cities that pledged on Nov 11, the second day of the COP30 UN climate talks held in Brazil, to do more to curb unsustainable cooling practices that are fuelling rising temperatures across the globe. Cooling can be unsustainable when it relies heavily on electricity generated from fossil fuels, which contribute to planet-warming emissions. Certain cooling devices also rely on refrigerants, some of which are powerful greenhouse gases. A UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report released on Nov 11 showed that planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from the rapidly growing demand for cooling could more than triple by 2050, resulting in more extreme heat events. At current rates, emissions from cooling could overwhelm power grids and lead to an estimated 7.2 billion tonnes of planet-warming carbon emissions by 2050, despite existing efforts to improve energy efficiency and phase away pollutive refrigerants, the report found. Singapore’s Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, Ms Grace Fu, said the Republic will share its technical expertise and experience in sustainable cooling and urban heat resilience.   https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/spore-backs-global-effort-for-sustainable-cooling-as-cities-step-up-heat-action-at-cop30   (ICE SINGAPORE)

Fonte notizia: The Straits Times, 12 November 2025