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Europe’s heatwaves boost cooling demand despite green transition goals
The UNEP forecasts global cooling installed capacity will triple by 2050, more than doubling electricity consumption.
Europe’s more frequent and hotter heatwaves are driving a sharp rise in air conditioning adoption, which in turn is increasing overall energy demand, according to OilPrice.
The outlet said the growing reliance on conventional cooling makes it harder for European countries to shift away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy, even as governments and researchers explore alternative, less carbon-intensive cooling methods.
OilPrice cited the United Nations Environment Programme’s Global Cooling Watch Report 2023, which forecasts that global installed cooling capacity would triple by 2050, alongside electricity consumption rising by more than double.
It also noted that cooling systems create both indirect emissions from electricity use and direct emissions from refrigerant gases, which most are described as more potent warming agents than carbon dioxide, and that UNEP launched its Nature for Cool Cities Challenge in 2023.