Green Cooling for a better future

By technology transfer and capacity building the economic competitiveness of Global South countries is maintained or enhanced. Proklima funds or organizes the funding of several trainings and technology transfers (opens in a new window) a year. 400 trainers, lecturers, representatives of National Ozone Units (NOU) as well as implementing agencies from 63 countries have taken part in our Cool Trainings in Germany between 2014-2023. Many more participated in trainings in their respective countries.

Improved cold chains could avoid almost half of the global food waste (opens in a new window) 

Proklima therefore provides technology transfer which allows butchers, supermarkets or fisheries to cool their goods. For example, we build a solar-powered fish cold (opens in a new window) store at lake Victoria in Kenya. Local fishermen can now store 5 tons of fish for two or three days. Before, they had to throw away 40 to 60% of their catch because they had no way to keep it cool.

Every year, more than 50% of the world’s vaccines (opens in a new window) are lost. One of the main causes is interruption to the cold chain. We support partner countries with energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly medical refrigerators, because it is the availability of refrigeration technology that makes comprehensive immunisation possible in the first place. Some results: 

• 11000 people immunized in Burkina Faso thanks to new climate-friendly refrigerators
• Children’s vaccination rates of 80-90% are the new standard in Bilira, Malawi. The amount of spoiled vaccines has been reduced by half.

Green Cooling requires technical competence. We have trained more than 600.000 refrigeration technicians and trainers (opens in a new window) all over the world, helping them to become Green Cooling experts. The qualification improves the professional perspectives and income of participants.

We especially encourage women to enter workforce in the Green Cooling sector as women are highly underrepresented until now. With our trainings and empowerment, we work against gender inequality.

Cooling accounts for about 20% of global electricity use (opens in a new window). In hotter countries, the demand can rise by more than 50% in summer (opens in a new window). Energy-efficient appliances relieve the load on the power grid, so the same capacities are sufficient for more households. In Africa, the introduction of innovative, solar-powered refrigerators will provide lifesaving vaccines, medicines and fresh produce to areas that have no access to the grid.
IEA, 2018: World Energy Outlook 2018 (opens in a new window)

In 2010, the market volume of the refrigeration industry in developing and emerging countries was already over €100 billion – and this figure is expected to more than triple by 2030. Targeted knowledge transfer irrespective of patents makes Green Cooling producers in developing countries competitive.
www.green-cooling-initiative.org (opens in a new window)

Many manufacturers still use climate-damaging refrigerants – but they can also be won over for climate-friendly solutions, as we have proven by helping more than 100 companies in the refrigeration, air-conditioning and foam sectors to make their products ozone and climate-friendly. 136 companies are members of our Green Cooling Network. Read their best practice examples (opens in a new window).

There is a high demand for air conditioning, especially in towns and cities. This is due to the higher temperatures in densely-populated areas and the better income of the residents. Using air conditioners and electric fans to stay cool accounts for nearly 20% of the total electricity used in buildings around the world today.

Construction measures for climate regulation and energy-efficient cooling can significantly reduce electricity consumption and conserve resources.

Source: International Energy Agency, 2018 (opens in a new window)

When cooling appliances are disposed of in emerging and developing countries, the materials are usually lost – and climate-damaging refrigerants are released. This is why Proklima promotes the development of recyclable appliances. This saves CO2.
 

Refrigeration and air conditioning account for about 10% of the global greenhouse gas emissions (opens in a new window)! Green Cooling reduces those emissions and conserves resources. The Montreal Protocol has already saved more than 200 billion tons of CO2-eq (opens in a new window). That’s more than 5 times the global emissions of 2022!

The Kigali Amendment is projected to avoid up to 0.5° of additional temperature rise by reducing climate-damaging HFCs.

The climate crisis is a huge danger to the biodiversity below water. So, by protecting the ozone layer and the climate, the ecosystems are protected as well.

The ozone hole was a huge threat to the life on land. It provoked eye cataracts and skin cancer and the degradation of vegetation. Thanks to the successful international cooperation under the Montreal Protocol, the ozone layer is recovering. However, the climate crisis is another huge danger to the biodiversity on land. So, by the protecting the climate, the ecosystems are protected as well. 

The climate crisis will be responsible for a lot of conflicts within the next years and decades, as the livelihood of a huge amount of people will be destroyed. The work of Proklima and every protection of the climate will therefore lead to stronger institutions and less conflicts.

Only a shared commitment can bring about sustainable change. That is why we create partnerships with stakeholders in all sectors. Through collaborations with ministries, authorities, academia, and civil society representatives, we have supported the introduction of natural refrigerants in more than 60 countries.

We act in the context of global treaties (opens in a new window), such as the Paris Agreement and the Montreal Protocol. The Montreal Protocol is ratified by all 198 states and has successfully stopped the depletion of the ozone layer.

Policy instruments - Green Cooling Initiative (opens in a new window)