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The article discusses the four main types of fluorinated gases—HFCs, PFCs, SF6, and NF3—which are potent greenhouse gases used in refrigeration and industrial manufacturing. It highlights the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol and the U.S. AIM Act as primary mechanisms for phasing down HFCs, while noting the need for sustainable alternatives like natural refrigerants and improved leak detection and destruction facilities.

The report highlights the escalating risks of extreme heat on human health and productivity, noting that 356,000 people died from extreme heat in 2019. It argues that while cooling demand is expected to soar—with space-cooling units potentially reaching 2.5 billion by 2030—this must be managed through sustainable solutions to avoid tripling global electricity demand by 2050. The text advocates for a mix of passive cooling, nature-based solutions, and energy-efficient active cooling, supported by policies like Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) and the appointment of Chief Heat Officers in cities such as Athens and Miami Dade County.

Chilling Prospects 2022 identifies that 3.66 billion people face high or medium risk from cooling access challenges, with 1.2 billion rural and urban poor at high risk. The report highlights critical gaps in food cold chains, health services, and human safety, while forecasting that achieving SDG 7.1 and SDG 1.1 could reduce the high-risk population by 36% by 2030. It advocates for a transition to sustainable, energy-efficient cooling and the implementation of National Cooling Action Plans (NCAPs) to mitigate climate impacts and protect vulnerable populations.

The document explores the climate impacts of carbon-intensive building materials like concrete and steel, emphasizing that while recycling is necessary, it is insufficient to address the scale of production-related emissions. Panelists advocate for a transition toward reuse, natural building materials, and circular business models to lower embodied emissions. Key policy recommendations include federal 'buy-clean' legislation requiring environmental product declarations (EPDs), expanded product stewardship to hold manufacturers responsible for the entire life cycle of products, and the creation of a national circular economy plan to coordinate goals across states and cities.

The report addresses the lack of granular, standardized data on cooling finance, which currently relies on equipment sales estimates or fragmented sectoral data. To resolve this, the authors propose a 'Cooling Investment Tracking Framework' using a six-letter code-tagging system. This system evaluates four dimensions: cooling orientation (the extent to which cooling is the project's purpose), climate orientation (whether the solution is efficient, clean, or sustainable), solution type (categorized into technology, services, policy, and finance), and purpose (mapped to OECD DAC codes). The framework aims to help stakeholders quantify financial commitments, monitor the phase-out of high-GWP refrigerants, and inform national cooling action plans. The authors recommend piloting the framework with development finance institutions to create a universal standard for tracking sustainable cooling investments.

The report argues that current cooling finance datasets are fragmented and lack the granularity needed to evaluate investment patterns against global needs. To resolve this, it introduces a code-tagging system that categorizes transactions across four dimensions: cooling orientation, climate orientation, solution type, and purpose. The framework aims to move beyond simple equipment sales data to include passive cooling, policy, and service-based investments, ultimately informing targeted investment strategies to meet Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Agreement targets.

The document details a refrigeration upgrade at Pick ‘n’ Pay Ceres provided by Energy Partners Refrigeration (EPR) using a CaaS model. By replacing an end-of-life simplex system with an air-cooled, direct expansion multiplex rack configuration using R407F refrigerant and variable speed drives, the store reduced average refrigeration energy consumption by 35% and overall cost per refrigeration-hour by 30%. The CaaS model eliminated upfront costs for the client, with EPR owning and maintaining the system over a 10-15 year term, funded by a portion of the monthly energy savings.

The report outlines a comprehensive framework for sustainable cooling, categorizing solutions into four pillars: technology, services, policy, and finance. It emphasizes that achieving 'cooling for all' requires an optimized approach to meet fundamental needs in comfort and safety, food and nutrition, and health and care, particularly for vulnerable populations. The document introduces a five-part solution approach—Protect, Reduce, Shift, Improve, and Leverage—to guide the selection of measures ranging from nature-based passive cooling to high-efficiency active technologies and regulatory policies.

The author calls on governments to ratify the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol to address the cooling sector's contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. With cooling-related CO2 emissions projected to rise from 8% to 15% by 2050, the document emphasizes the need for low Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerants and energy-efficient equipment to avoid a vicious cycle of increasing cooling demand and global warming.

The report warns that room air conditioner (RAC) stock could grow from 1.2 billion to 4.5 billion units by 2050, potentially increasing global temperatures by 0.5°C by 2100. It argues that conventional efficiency improvements and the Kigali Amendment are insufficient to offset this growth. The authors propose a '5X solution'—technology with five times less climate impact than current standards—which could prevent 100 gigatons of CO2e emissions by 2050 and save US$1.4 trillion in power generation capital costs.

A U.S. Court of Appeals ruling vacating the EPA's SNAP program threatens to prevent the avoidance of up to 9.5 billion metric tons of HFC emissions by 2050 and may hinder the U.S. ability to meet its commitments under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.

The 2012 Seattle Community Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory finds that core emissions (road transportation, building energy, and waste) declined 4% from 1990 to 2012 after accounting for offsets. While absolute core emissions remained relatively flat, per person core emissions decreased by 22% over the same period, despite a 23% increase in population and a 14% increase in jobs. Road transportation remains the largest core emission source at 64%, while building energy and waste account for 33% and 3% respectively. In an expanded view including industry and air/marine travel, total emissions were 6.0 million tons CO2e in 2012, representing a 1% reduction from 1990 levels, falling short of a 7% reduction target.

The Montreal Protocol successfully phased out the production of ozone-depleting substances (ODSs), but failed to address the global warming potential of existing ODS banks and the rapid growth of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) substitutes. ODS banks, if not controlled, risk releasing significant greenhouse gases, while HFC emissions are projected to increase substantially by 2050, particularly in developing countries. The document examines policy options such as the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, producer responsibility programs in other developed nations, and proposals to expand the Montreal Protocol's mandate to include HFCs.

The clean car standards, initiated by California's AB 1493 and adopted by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), comprise regulations for air quality, global warming, and zero-emission vehicles. These standards aim for a 30% reduction in global warming pollution from new vehicles by 2016 and are more stringent than federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, targeting a fleet average fuel economy equivalent of 39.2 mpg by 2020 compared to the federal 35 mpg. As of January 2009, 13 states and the District of Columbia had adopted these standards, which are projected to reduce cumulative global warming emissions by 451 million metric tons of CO2E by 2020 across those 15 jurisdictions.

The report identifies significant cooling access gaps in Ghana, with 12.9 million people at high risk due to poverty and lack of electricity. It argues for a transition to sustainable cooling by integrating passive design, higher energy efficiency standards, and the phase-out of HFC refrigerants. Key focus areas include developing cold chains for agriculture and healthcare to reduce food loss and improve vaccine distribution, while addressing the urban heat island effect in cities like Accra and Kumasi.

The document analyzes the U.S. transportation sector's contribution to global warming, noting it is the second-largest source of emissions, primarily driven by light-duty vehicles. It proposes a three-pronged approach: improving vehicle and air conditioning efficiency, transitioning to low-carbon fuels (such as cellulosic biofuels, electricity, and hydrogen), and reducing vehicle miles traveled (VMT) through smart growth and transit expansion. The report details specific fuel economy targets for 2020 and 2030 and advocates for performance-based emission standards over traditional fuel economy standards to better account for non-CO2 emissions and alternative fuels.

The document details a pilot project involving the Episcopal Church in the Philippines (ECP) to measure GHG emissions across various assets. The survey categorized assets into five types—including churches and schools—and analyzed emissions from energy, water, waste, and refrigerants. Findings revealed that schools have the highest per-individual-asset emissions (153.78t), primarily from refrigerants, while churches have the lowest (6.31t), primarily from energy. The ECP intends to repeat the survey annually to track emission reduction targets. The paper also offers a step-by-step guide for other faith actors to adapt the model, recommending the use of asset inventories, internal communications, and coordinator training.

HFCs are a rapidly growing source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., with a projected 120% increase by 2030. While low-global warming potential (GWP) alternatives like HFOs and natural refrigerants exist and are used by some companies, market adoption is uneven due to high upfront costs and low consumer demand. The document recommends that the EPA use its SNAP program and Clean Air Act authority to phase out high-GWP HFCs and improve refrigerant recovery, while advocating for a global phase-down through the Montreal Protocol.