The Dominican Ministries of Environment and Energy and Mines, the European Union and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) launched this Monday in the Dominican Republic the “Cold Districts” project in Latin America and the Caribbean, to promote sustainable cooling solutions in the region.
The regional initiative financed by the European Union through its Euroclima program, with a total investment of 3.3 million dollars, also seeks to lay the foundations to establish a system aimed at the centralized production of cold water, which is distributed to users through a closed network of pipes.
This model can use various sources and technologies, making it a flexible and adaptable cooling solution for urban and industrial environments, which is especially relevant in a global context marked by the climate crisis, UNDP highlighted in a statement.
During the launch event, 73 representatives of Dominican public, private, academic, cooperating, multilateral and civil society organizations participated.
The “Cold Districts” model offers multiple benefits derived from its scale, which allows achieving high levels of energy efficiency and gradually reducing the use of polluting refrigerants. By centralizing cold production, the maximum demand on the electrical grid decreases, contributes to its stability and reduces the need for new investments in generation.
The UN office assured that the world faces a “cooling crisis” due to the sustained increase in temperatures, accelerated population growth, urbanization and continuous improvement in living standards.
You may want to take a look at: US agrees to contribute $2 billion to the UN for humanitarian assistance
These factors have “significantly” increased the need for air conditioning systems, especially in regions with hot climates and in developing countries where energy demand continues to grow.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), energy demand associated with air conditioning could triple by 2050, and the number of installed devices would increase from 1.6 to 5.6 billion.
This would require electricity capacity equivalent to the current combined capacity of the United States, the European Union and Japan, posing a significant challenge for energy systems and climate mitigation efforts.
Against this background, the document continued, the international community has assumed commitments such as the progressive elimination of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) through the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, a decisive step to reduce the impact of highly polluting refrigerants, and which is also being implemented in the Dominican Republic by a project of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources with the support of the UNDP.
These projections reinforce the urgency of moving towards cleaner, more efficient and sustainable cooling technologies.
Euroclima is a European Union program that strengthens cooperation with Latin America and the Caribbean to promote a “green” and “fair” transition in the region.
As part of the Global Gateway strategy, the program works with 33 partner countries and regional organizations to create enabling conditions for sustainable investments, facilitate access to climate finance and promote knowledge exchange in priority sectors such as the energy transition, bioeconomy, sustainable mobility and water management.
With information from EFE
Follow us on Google News to always stay informed
