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The world is battling against rising Global temperature. In this regard, India has made a long stride by launching its own comprehensive cooling action plan. Explain the opportunities and challenges with respect to this programme.
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Solution
Answer:
India is one of the first countries in the world to have a comprehensive Cooling Action plan to address the cooling requirement across sectors of the economy such as residential and commercial buildings, cold-chain, refrigeration, transport and industries.
The India Cooling Action has the following objectives:
To reduce cooling demand across sectors by 20% to 25% by 2037-38
To reduce refrigerant demand by 25% to 30% by 2037-38
Reducing cooling energy requirements by 25% to 40% by 2037-38
Recognize “cooling and related areas” as a thrust area of research under the national S&T Programme,
Training and certification of 100,000 servicing sector technicians by 2022-23, synergizing with Skill India Mission.
Importance of cooling plan:
ICAP aims to provide sustainable cooling and thermal comfort for all while securing environmental and socio-economic benefits for the society. This will also help in reducing both direct and indirect emissions. The following benefits would accrue to society over and above the environmental benefits:
Thermal comfort for all – ICAP has a comprehensive approach and it has provision for cooling for EWS and LIG housing too.
Sustainable cooling -The plan encourages the use of energy-efficient materials. It focuses on low GHG emissions related to cooling. So it will also help India to meet its Paris commitments.
Doubling Farmers Income – ICAP aims to develop better cold chain infrastructure which will have a better value of products to farmers and less wastage of produce.
Make in India – ICAP also focuses on meeting the need for cooling equipment through domestic manufacturing of air-conditioning and related cooling equipment.
Robust R&D on alternative cooling technologies – ICAP has visions to develop alternative cooling technologies which are less carbon-intensive and for that, it has provision to push for innovation in the cooling sector. It may possibly lead to the emergence of new technologies in the area of cooling and can also make India a leader of such technologies.
Skill and employment: Its focus on imparting skills in the area of cooling will lead to employment opportunities to youth and fulfil the requirement of the cooling industry.
Challenges:
Defining and mapping heat stress in India’s different climate zones: ICAP does not have the mapping of heat stress in India. ICAP has assumed that cooling needs and approaches in all climate zones of India are the same.
An implementation framework: ICAP has not prescribed the institutional and governance framework for implementing the recommendations, at both national and state levels.
Better data: there are data gaps in developing reliable estimates and projections. And It has no provision for improving data collection, availability, and analysis. For e.g. critical data gaps exist in the transport sector refrigerant use, quantities of refrigerants that enter the secondary market, quantities released and destroyed.
Managing cooling demand from higher income groups: ICAP has not recognised the fact that the same ACs that cool the buildings from inside throw heat outside, leading to higher nighttime temperatures. The ICAP has not factored this into its assumptions about increased AC penetration from 8 per cent in 2011 to 21 per cent by 2028. This big jump will come from urban dwellers who already have at least one AC.
Way forward:
Urban planning agencies must consider an integrated approach to have green spaces on both private and public lands to benefit everyone, including those that cannot afford air conditioning. Clever planning and zoning can also help cool cities.
There is a need to have an analysis of trends in temperature and heat stress and therefore projected cooling demand in India’s different climate zones. The plan can adopt a few pilot cases (cities or states) to project future heat under different climate scenarios to ensure that the plan adequately prepares India for future needs.
The mandates of different institutions, agencies and departments, at both Central and state levels, the vertical and horizontal coordination necessary, and the resources needed to staff, train and fund the interventions must be added to the action plan.
Good data would enable better cooling demand estimates, projections and identifying solutions. ICAP must provide recommendations to set up robust data collection frameworks needed for monitoring, verifying, enforcing and improving the proposed interventions.
ICAP’s other recommendation on making super-efficient ACs more affordable for the middle-class and rich must not forget cooling for the poor and the most vulnerable. The ICAP must say more on moderating cooling demand from the rich through price signals and regulations, sensitising consumers to the environmental and social impact of AC buying.
Sustainable cooling for India cannot be achieved by technological solutions alone. It has to respond to India’s unique needs that vary across the country. The plan must differentiate between the “need’’ for cooling from air ACs versus “aspiration’’ of buying ACs.
India is one of the first countries in the world to have a comprehensive Cooling Action plan to address the cooling requirement across sectors of the economy such as residential and commercial buildings, cold-chain, refrigeration, transport and industries.
The India Cooling Action has the following objectives:
To reduce cooling demand across sectors by 20% to 25% by 2037-38
To reduce refrigerant demand by 25% to 30% by 2037-38
Reducing cooling energy requirements by 25% to 40% by 2037-38
Recognize “cooling and related areas” as a thrust area of research under the national S&T Programme,
Training and certification of 100,000 servicing sector technicians by 2022-23, synergizing with Skill India Mission.
Importance of cooling plan:
ICAP aims to provide sustainable cooling and thermal comfort for all while securing environmental and socio-economic benefits for the society. This will also help in reducing both direct and indirect emissions. The following benefits would accrue to society over and above the environmental benefits:
Thermal comfort for all – ICAP has a comprehensive approach and it has provision for cooling for EWS and LIG housing too.
Sustainable cooling -The plan encourages the use of energy-efficient materials. It focuses on low GHG emissions related to cooling. So it will also help India to meet its Paris commitments.
Doubling Farmers Income – ICAP aims to develop better cold chain infrastructure which will have a better value of products to farmers and less wastage of produce.
Make in India – ICAP also focuses on meeting the need for cooling equipment through domestic manufacturing of air-conditioning and related cooling equipment.
Robust R&D on alternative cooling technologies – ICAP has visions to develop alternative cooling technologies which are less carbon-intensive and for that, it has provision to push for innovation in the cooling sector. It may possibly lead to the emergence of new technologies in the area of cooling and can also make India a leader of such technologies.
Skill and employment: Its focus on imparting skills in the area of cooling will lead to employment opportunities to youth and fulfil the requirement of the cooling industry.
Challenges:
Defining and mapping heat stress in India’s different climate zones: ICAP does not have the mapping of heat stress in India. ICAP has assumed that cooling needs and approaches in all climate zones of India are the same.
An implementation framework: ICAP has not prescribed the institutional and governance framework for implementing the recommendations, at both national and state levels.
Better data: there are data gaps in developing reliable estimates and projections. And It has no provision for improving data collection, availability, and analysis. For e.g. critical data gaps exist in the transport sector refrigerant use, quantities of refrigerants that enter the secondary market, quantities released and destroyed.
Managing cooling demand from higher income groups: ICAP has not recognised the fact that the same ACs that cool the buildings from inside throw heat outside, leading to higher nighttime temperatures. The ICAP has not factored this into its assumptions about increased AC penetration from 8 per cent in 2011 to 21 per cent by 2028. This big jump will come from urban dwellers who already have at least one AC.
Way forward:
Urban planning agencies must consider an integrated approach to have green spaces on both private and public lands to benefit everyone, including those that cannot afford air conditioning. Clever planning and zoning can also help cool cities.
There is a need to have an analysis of trends in temperature and heat stress and therefore projected cooling demand in India’s different climate zones. The plan can adopt a few pilot cases (cities or states) to project future heat under different climate scenarios to ensure that the plan adequately prepares India for future needs.
The mandates of different institutions, agencies and departments, at both Central and state levels, the vertical and horizontal coordination necessary, and the resources needed to staff, train and fund the interventions must be added to the action plan.
Good data would enable better cooling demand estimates, projections and identifying solutions. ICAP must provide recommendations to set up robust data collection frameworks needed for monitoring, verifying, enforcing and improving the proposed interventions.
ICAP’s other recommendation on making super-efficient ACs more affordable for the middle-class and rich must not forget cooling for the poor and the most vulnerable. The ICAP must say more on moderating cooling demand from the rich through price signals and regulations, sensitising consumers to the environmental and social impact of AC buying.
Sustainable cooling for India cannot be achieved by technological solutions alone. It has to respond to India’s unique needs that vary across the country. The plan must differentiate between the “need’’ for cooling from air ACs versus “aspiration’’ of buying ACs.
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