Enhancing Production of Affordable Cooling Devices

Context (PIB): The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, partnered with the World Bank to host a successful workshop on “Alleviating Heat Stress by Enhancing Production of Affordable Cooling Devices (AHEAD).“
The Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF&CC) and the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) supported the initiative.

Significance of Affordable Cooling Devices Production

Rising demand: Increased global warming, the growing Indian economy, and increased purchase power will likely increase overall cooling demand by 10 times in the next two decades.
Safeguard GDP: Cooling interventions have the potential to save approximately 4.5% of GDP, nearly 329 billion USD, at risk by 2030 due to heatwaves.
Protect agricultural produce: The existing cold chain for agricultural produce meets only 4% of the total requirement.
Save foreign exchange: India spent nearly a billion USD in 2022-23 foreign exchange on importing cooling device components.
Help achieve India Cooling Action Plan target: The plan announced in 2019 to address the cooling emissions aims to reduce power consumption for cooling across sectors by 20-25% by 2038.
Uphold India’s commitment: It will show that India earnestly wants to reduce cooling emissions despite not being a part of the Global Cooling Pledge.

Sixty-three countries, including the US, have committed to the world’s first-ever Global Cooling Pledge at COP28 of UNFCCC.
The GCP mandates countries to cut cooling emissions by at least 68% by 2050.
- Cooling emissions are generated from refrigerants (used in appliances like ACs and refrigerators) and the energy used for cooling.

Global Warming
- With the rising global warming, cooling is not merely a luxury but essential for promoting overall well-being and improving living standards for a country like India.
- Strict adherence to the ambitious targets of GCP may temporarily limit access to affordable cooling.
Economic Growth and Investment
- Transitioning to sustainable cooling technologies requires substantial investments that may strain the country’s economy and halt economic development.
Not a Historical Contributor
- India, a non-historical emitter, should not be unreasonably burdened to mitigate climate change.
- goes against the Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) principle, enshrined in the Earth Summit 1992.

Focus on overcoming domestic manufacturing challenges.
Exploring innovative policy and financing strategies.
Position India as a Global Manufacturing Hub for sustainable and affordable cooling technologies.
R&D for production of higher quality & cost-effective cooling devices.