Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower), world?s largest district cooling services provider, announced its participation in the ?Cool Coalition? initiative, launched by the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) in collaboration with the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program, and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL)
The initiative aims to inspire ambition and accelerate action on the transition to clean and efficient cooling. This is a new achievement of Empower that confirms its global leadership in the district cooling sector.
The Cool Coalition, launched at the First Global Conference on Synergies between the 2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement, aims to make a positive impact on climate change and inspire ambition, identify solutions and mobilise action to accelerate progress toward clean and efficient cooling. The initiative is currently working on the preparations of the UN Climate Change Summit 2019, which will have a preparatory meeting hosted in Abu Dhabi, in June 2019.
The coalition consists of 20 influential global leaders, including ministers from Chile, Rwanda and Denmark, heads of cooling and engineering companies, civil society leaders, research and academic institutions and international organisations.
Empower will play a leading role in achieving the objectives set by this global front, especially as it was behind the crowning of Dubai as the ?Champion City? for district cooling globally, on the sidelines of the closing ceremony of the 8th International District Energy Association (IDEA) Annual Conference which was held in Dubai, in December 2018.
?We were honoured through this selection by UN Environment, as a key partner in the Cool Coalition initiative and this also will increase the position of the UAE in the global efforts for sustainable developments. The initiative is a link between the Kigali Amendment, Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals, and aims to support the Kigali Amendment with climate and sustainability objectives and aims to reduce the projected production and consumption of HFCs by more than 80 per cent over the next 30 years and provide up to US$2.9 trillion globally by 2050,? said Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Empower.
?With global warming rising and increasing energy threats to air cooling that contributes to more greenhouse gases, emissions from the cooling sector are expected to grow by 90 per cent by 2050. Clean and efficient cooling solutions, especially district cooling solutions, can avoid this steady rise in harmful emissions. District cooling contributes to energy efficiency and reduced energy consumption, as district cooling systems use 50 per cent less energy compared to conventional cooling systems. The adoption of this solution contributes to the reduction of carbon emissions from energy consumption, as district cooling is one of the energy efficiency accelerators announced by the UN previously,? continued Bin Shafar.
Bin Shafar highlighted that the rise in global warming rates leads to the spread of epidemics and diseases and thus the deaths of millions around the world, especially in poor communities because of high temperatures.
SEforAll?s Chilling Prospects report 2018 revealed that over 1.1bn people globally are at immediate risk from lack of access to cooling. The report also revealed that cooling is responsible for about 10 per cent of global warming.
?Hence, we are committed to providing energy efficient cooling solutions, and environmentally friendly district cooling systems. The UAE, headed by our wise leadership, has given great importance to sustainability. It has addressed the challenges of climate change, which is a real obstacle in achieving growth and prosperity at all levels. The UAE has adopted several strategies to support sustainability, notably the UAE Vision 2021, the UAE Energy Strategy 2050, which aims to increase the contribution of clean energy in the total energy mix to 50 per cent, the National Climate Change Plan 2017-2050, and the long term national initiative to build a green economy in the UAE, under slogan ?Green Economy for Sustainable Development?, launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. This initiative allowed the UAE to achieve leading global positions in the field of the new green economy,? added Bin Shafar.
The UAE has made many contributions to support global efforts to address climate change and achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Since 2013, the UAE has provided about US$1bn as an aid to developing countries to deploy renewable energy solutions. In addition, the UAE has been committed to reducing and adapting to climate change, through its annual aid portfolio, which is worth US$5bn.
