Meanwhile, refrigeration – once considered a luxury and now a survival necessity in many parts of the world – remains one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions. From passive cooling architecture to solar-powered cooling, sustainable alternatives are gaining ground, but scaling them up is another story.
At the center of the COP30 negotiations is the long-delayed Technology Deployment Programme, a plan to put life-saving innovations into the hands of those who need them most. But progress is slow. Intellectual property rules, trade restrictions and financial obstacles continue to block access for developing countries, even as the urgency grows.
Sustainable cooling for a warmer planet
COP30 Executive Director Ana Toni said after Monday’s opening session that she had joined discussions on technological innovations that could accelerate climate solutions, from flood warning systems and methane monitoring satellites to advances in energy efficiency.
The issue took center stage again on Tuesday with the launch of the Get through the Heat deployment campaigna joint push by the Brazilian COP30 presidency, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and Cool Coalition partners. The initiative aims to make cooling more accessible (and less polluting) in a world where deadly heat waves are becoming the norm.
Cooling demand is expected to triple by 2050, driven by rising temperatures, population growth and expanding access to inefficient cooling systems. Without intervention, emissions from cooling could nearly double, overwhelming power grids and leaving climate goals out of reach.
The new UNEP Global Cooling Watch 2025 The report warns that regular refrigeration could generate 7.2 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent emissions by mid-century.
The Beat the Heat campaign promotes a Sustainable cooling pathway – a combination of passive design, nature-based solutions and clean technologies that can reduce emissions by up to 97 percent when combined with rapid decarbonization.
It’s not just about air conditioners: cool roofs, urban green spaces and low-energy systems are central to the plan. Nearly two-thirds of the potential emissions cuts come from passive, low-energy solutions, many of which are affordable and scalable.
“Cooling must be considered essential infrastructure, alongside water and energy,” said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen. “But we cannot get out of the heat crisis with air conditioning.”
More than 185 cities (from Rio to Nairobi) have signed up to Beat the Heat, along with 72 countries supporting the Global Cooling Pledge. The initiative is designed to close gaps in financing, policy and delivery, especially for vulnerable communities on the front lines of climate change.
Artificial intelligence on the agenda
While artificial intelligence (AI) is not part of the formal COP30 negotiations, it is gaining ground in the Action Agenda, a platform designed to mobilize voluntary climate action from civil society, businesses, investors, cities and states. These actors may not sign treaties, but they are essential to turning climate commitments into reality.
Brazil’s government is mapping successful examples of how AI can support climate resilience, a growing trend among other UN Member States. A notable case comes from the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, where researcher Alisa Luangrath developed an artificial intelligence-powered irrigation system in Savannakhet province, a region greatly affected by water scarcity and climate stress.
She was named the 2025 winner of the UNFCCC “AI for Climate Action” Award.
Empower farmers through smart data
Ms Luangrath explained that the system integrates soil moisture sensors, groundwater monitors and meteorological data with AI-based analytics. The technology processes this information to forecast terrain conditions, water availability, and risks of flooding or extreme heat. Farmers receive real-time updates through a mobile app, helping them plan planting and irrigation cycles more efficiently.
she said UN News which hopes that its participation in COP30 will help forge partnerships to bring innovation to other countries and communities vulnerable to climate crises. All AI models and data tools developed within your project will be available under open source licenses, ensuring free access for reuse and improvement.
Through RuralInvest, the field technician understands what the farmer’s vision is, learns how and what data should be collected and enters it into the software, which automatically systematizes the information and brings to life clear and visually effective business plans.
The environmental cost of data
But as the use of AI expands, so does concern about its environmental footprint.
Luã Cruz, coordinator of Telecommunications and Digital Rights at Brazil’s Consumer Defense Institute (Idec), warned that even everyday digital activities – from mobile phone use to online interactions – depend on massive data centers.
“These facilities consume large amounts of energy and water for cooling, occupy large areas of land and require significant mineral extraction for their electronic components,” he explained.
Cruz added that many data centers “ignore planetary boundaries and seek locations with minimal environmental regulation and generous tax breaks.”
The pressure on water resources
Brazil, like many other countries, is competing to attract these types of facilities, a move that Cruz believes could worsen water stress. He pointed to the Netherlands’ moratorium on new data centers and the elimination of facilities in Chile and Uruguay that exacerbated local droughts.
Idec is currently involved in two legal cases in Brazil. One of them concerns a planned TikTok data center in Caucaia, Ceará, near indigenous territory. The other involves a proposed facility in Eldorado do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, a city that was more than 80 percent submerged after last year’s devastating floods.