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Opinion
Three predictions for Cooling in 2021 Expect more of the following: net-zero emissions action by cooling companies, Kigali ratifications and ambition, and National Cooling Action Plans by governments. — By Dan Hamza-Goodacre
T
he challenges of 2020 have been well documented and I don’t think I have ever looked forward to a new year more than now.
On top of everything COVID-19 related, 2020 saw a number of heat records broken around the world, more relentless heat waves (including in the Arctic Circle) and another ominously high temperature of 54.4°C (129.9°F) in Death Valley, California (U.S.) It is, therefore, unsurprising to learn that 2020 is on course to be the hottest year since records began. While 2020 is likely to be an anomaly in many ways, with regards to the rising mercury, it is not. With this trend of increasingly frequent and lengthy heat waves being experienced in virtually every part of the world, we are seeing a growing demand for cooling, especially for the most vulnerable communities. The loss of lives and productivity due to heat is already too high, and is only expected to grow if we don’t act now.
Accelerate Special Issue #112
It is not just keeping ourselves cool that’s becoming increasingly important; the refrigeration of medicines – vaccines in particular – has been of significant interest this year. The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a light on socioeconomic inequities, and as we approach the final stages of vaccine development, certain communities face the possibility of further inequalities relating to access to sufficient cold-chain infrastructure for vaccine distribution. As I write this, there are at least three promising candidates for a COVID-19 vaccine: one from Pfizer and BioNtech, one from Moderna, and one from Oxford University and AstraZeneca. While this is all clearly fantastic news, we’re not out of the woods just yet. According to Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL)’s recent “Chilling Prospects” report, delivering a vaccine typically requires storage at temperatures between 2°C and 8°C (35.6°F and 46.4°F). To do this for 4.7–5.5 billion people within 12–18 months would require a massive expansion in medical cold chains, energy and refrigerants. You can just imagine