"Electricity use for cooling could double by 2050, driving up the greenhouse gas emissions that cause warming."
"Sixty nations committed on Tuesday to improve the efficiency of new air-conditioners by 50 percent and reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to those cooling machines by almost 70 percent, the latest in a flurry of global promises that aim to tackle climate change.
The voluntary pledge made at the U.N. climate talks in Dubai was led by the conference hosts, the United Arab Emirates, and confronts a daunting future facing a warming planet: As global temperatures rise, more people will turn to air-conditioners to ward off the heat.
But additional air-conditioning in buildings and other spaces, which is also driven by rising incomes, population growth and urbanization, means that the world could use more than double the electricity it does now to stay cool, leading to more planet-warming emissions, according to research released by the United Nations on Tuesday."
Hiroko Tabuchi reports for the New York Times December 5, 2023.
SEE ALSO:
"COP28 Pledge To Curb Cooling Emissions Backed By 63 Countries" (Reuters)
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