Sustainable cooling policy progress

The report evaluates sustainable cooling policy progress in the 'Critical 9' countries, finding that while energy efficiency policies exist, they are inconsistently implemented and often fail to cover off-grid devices or reflect best-in-class technology. It highlights a significant gap in integrating cooling demand into national electrification planning and financial incentives, while noting varying levels of adoption of National Cooling Action Plans (NCAPs) and the Kigali Amendment.

• Policies to enhance access to sustainable cooling are limited across the Critical 9 countries. Cooling demand is generally absent from electrification planning, with Bangladesh being the only exception. Furthermore, there are no identified government programmes or financing mechanisms for off-grid cooling devices in any of these nine countries.
• Energy efficiency policies for cooling are present in all Critical 9 countries but suffer from inconsistent enforcement and coverage. Minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) and labels only cover on-grid products, leaving a gap for rural and isolated populations. Some countries lack specific standards: Mozambique and Sudan have not adopted MEPS for refrigerators, air conditioners, and fans, while Nigeria lacks MEPS for refrigerators and freezers.
• There is a gap between current regulatory requirements and global best-in-class technology. While top-tier air conditioners worldwide achieve energy-efficiency ratios (EER) of 5.0–6.5 W/W, minimum requirements in several African countries remain below 3.0 W/W.
• Integration of cooling into climate planning varies. Only four of the Critical 9 countries (Bangladesh, China, India, and Pakistan) mention cooling in their updated NDCs, and five (Bangladesh, China, India, Mozambique, and Nigeria) have ratified the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.
• The adoption of National Cooling Action Plans (NCAPs) is uneven among the Critical 9: China and India have published them, Bangladesh, Brazil, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Pakistan are developing them, and Mozambique and Sudan have not yet started.

APA

Sustainable Energy for All (2022). Sustainable cooling policy progress. https://www.seforall.org/chilling-prospects-2022/sustainable-cooling-policy-progress

Chicago

Sustainable Energy for All. Sustainable cooling policy progress. 2022. https://www.seforall.org/chilling-prospects-2022/sustainable-cooling-policy-progress.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Sustainable Energy for All |title=Sustainable cooling policy progress |date=2022 |url=https://www.seforall.org/chilling-prospects-2022/sustainable-cooling-policy-progress |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sustainableenergyforall2022sustainable, author = {{Sustainable Energy for All}}, title = {{Sustainable cooling policy progress}}, institution = {Sustainable Energy for All}, year = {2022}, url = {https://www.seforall.org/chilling-prospects-2022/sustainable-cooling-policy-progress}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }