Staying cool, but with clean tech, global collaborations

Context: On September
21, 2024, the Quad nations (Australia, India, Japan, and the United States)
issued the Wilmington Declaration, which underscores the Quad’s commitment to
sustainable energy solutions, particularly focusing on high-efficiency cooling
systems. This aligns with the earlier joint statement by India and the U.S.,
which detailed a road map for building resilient and secure global clean energy
supply chains, placing a special emphasis on clean cooling technologies. Both
statements highlight the urgent need to deploy affordable and energy-efficient
cooling systems in climate-vulnerable regions while advancing global climate
goals.

Quad Summit 2024

·      
Quad Wilmington Declaration: The
Wilmington Declaration, part of the Quad Leaders’ Summit in 2024, emphasised
cooperation among India, the US, Japan, and Australia to promote a free and
open Indo-Pacific, countering rising regional tensions, particularly with
China. The Quad’s initiatives on maritime security, critical technologies, and
regional infrastructure directly affect India-China relations, as China views
these collaborations as strategic containment.

·      
Quad Cancer Moonshot: The
Quad Cancer Moonshot is a new initiative launched by Quad. It aims to reduce
the burden of cancer in the Indo-Pacific region. Building on their COVID-19
collaboration, the partnership leverages collective investments, scientific
expertise, and contributions from private and non-profit sectors.

·      
Maritime Initiative for Training in
Indo-Pacific: The Quad leaders announced the Maritime
Initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific (MAITRI) to help regional partners
effectively utilize tools from the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness
(IPMDA) and other Quad initiatives.

·      
Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission to
Be Held in 2025: The Quad nations announced plans for
the first-ever Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission in 2025, involving the US,
Japan, Australia, and Indian Coast Guards to enhance maritime safety and
interoperability.

·      
Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network
launched: The leaders launched a Quad Indo-Pacific
Logistics Network pilot project to share airlift capacity and leverage their
collective logistics strengths. This will enable faster and more efficient
civilian responses to natural disasters across the Indo-Pacific region.

·      
Semiconductor Supply Chains
Contingency Network Memorandum of Cooperation: It aims to
enhance resilience of Quad’s semiconductor supply chains.

Key points

·      
Overview: Along
with the U.S. and India’s joint plan to expand manufacturing capacities for high-efficiency
air-conditioners and ceiling fans, these developments could significantly
reduce the climate impact of cooling systems.

·      
Montreal protocol & Kigali
amendment: The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete
the Ozone Layer is a landmark multilateral environmental agreement that
regulates the production and consumption of nearly 100 man-made chemicals
referred to as ozone depleting substances (ODS).

Ø  ODS
are substances that are commonly used in products such as refrigerators, air
conditioners, fire extinguishers, and aerosols. When released into the
atmosphere, those chemicals damage the stratospheric ozone layer, Earth’s
protective shield that protects humans and the environment from harmful levels
of ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

Kigali
Amendment: In 2016, parties to the Montreal Protocol
adopted the Kigali Amendment to phase down production and consumption of
hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) worldwide. It will phase down HFC consumption and
production based on the carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) by 80-85 percent by
2045.

Ø  HFCs
are widely used alternatives to ODS, such as hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs)
and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which are already controlled under the
Protocol. HFCs are powerful greenhouse gases, and global implementation of the
Kigali Amendment is expected to avoid up to half a degree Celsius of
temperature rise by 2100.

·      
India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP): ICAP
is a long-term vision to address the cooling requirement across sectors.
Reducing cooling demand by 20-25% and refrigeration demand by 25-30% by the
year 2037 are the goals of this plan.

·      
Way forward: India’s
proactive approach to cooling challenges, especially through the ICAP,
positions it as a global leader in sustainable cooling. The country can protect
its population from heat while leading the global fight against climate change,
ensuring thermal comfort for all. COP29 must build on the momentum of COP28 by
expanding cooling commitments. This includes increasing participation in the
Global Cooling Pledge and enhancing partnerships across sectors and nations.