UNEP Global Cooling Watch 2025: India and South Asia Warned Against 13-Fold Cooling Surge, Need Passive Cooling
SDG 13: Climate Action | SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
Institutions: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) | Ministry of Power (MoP) | Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE)
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Global Cooling Watch 2025 report projects that under a Business-as-Usual (BAU) scenario, global installed cooling capacity is on a trajectory to triple by 2050 (from 22 TW to 68 TW), potentially driving annual GHG emissions to 7.2 billion tons of CO2. This massive surge is expected to be steepest in low- and middle-income countries in hot regions, with Africa and South-Central Asia forecast to have the fastest growth—nearly 13-fold by 2050.
The report proposes the Sustainable Cooling Pathway—the global trajectory for climate action—which is defined by the Sustainable Cooling Hierarchy. This Pathway could reduce emissions by 64% below BAU (to 2.6 billion tons of CO2e and yield immense economic benefits, including an estimated US$17 trillion in cumulative energy savings and avoiding US$13–26 trillion in grid investment costs by 2050. The Hierarchy prioritizes passive and low-energy solutions as the “first line of defence”.
India-Specific Context:
India’s mandatory energy labels introduced in 2023 have successfully driven the adoption of brushless direct current fans, which use 50 per cent less energy compared to conventional AC fans.
The report features a case study on farmers in Bihar launching an integrated net-zero emissions packhouse using solar energy and natural refrigerants to cut losses and stabilize incomes, demonstrating climate-smart cold chain solutions.
Delhi’s peak power demand surged beyond 8,300 megawatts in May 2024 due to extreme heat and heavy air-conditioning use, illustrating the risks of over-reliance on energy-intensive cooling.
India’s National Disaster Management Authority and the state of Tamil Nadu are specifically recognized for prioritizing passive cooling in their heat mitigation efforts.
Despite progress, cities like Delhi and Kolkata face heightened heat-related morbidity and stressed water systems, compounded by high ambient temperatures and energy-intensive cooling.
Given the projected 13-fold growth forecast for South-Central Asia, treating heat protection and cooling as a public good is critical to prevent dangerous power outages and grid collapse during peak demand. The imperative for India is to rapidly codify and enforce mandatory passive cooling measures (like shading, cool roofs, and insulation) in building energy codes to avoid locking in decades of emissions and infrastructure overcapacity.
What is the Sustainable Cooling Hierarchy, and why is it essential for South-Central Asia? → The Sustainable Cooling Hierarchy is a four-step framework for designing and implementing cooling solutions: 1) Minimize cooling loads (Passive Cooling) , 2) Use low-energy cooling (Fans, evaporative coolers) , 3) Maximize energy efficiency , and 4) Rapidly phase down HFC refrigerants. It is essential for South-Central Asia because adopting Step 1 and 2—passive and low-energy solutions—is the most affordable way to provide cooling access to the vast population that currently lacks it.
Follow the full report here: UNEP Global Cooling Watch 2025