EIA calls for national cooling plan

UK: During the UK’s latest record-breaking heatwave, the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has called on the government to adopt a national cooling action plan.

In a five-point plan in a new policy report published today, the EIA calls for passive cooling measures, greater “natural” refrigerant training and a review of the F-gas regulation, alongside measures to address the poverty gap and encourage behavioural change.

The paper, UK Cooling Policy in a Warming World, insists that the UK has a unique window to align its cooling policy to address both adaptation and mitigation. It expresses concerns that without strategic intervention, the UK risks a wholesale reliance on air conditioning, which it claims would drive up energy demand, greenhouse gas emissions and social inequalities.

It maintains that cooling should be recognised as a public health and equity issue, with priority support for low-income households, older people and heat-vulnerable communities. It raises concerns that an over-reliance on air conditioning will create a cooling poverty divide.

The EIA also urges the UK government to publish a comprehensive National Cooling Action Plan which aligns adaptation, net-zero and public health objectives.

The report insists that new buildings should be required to incorporate passive cooling measures, with retrofit programmes accelerated for homes at risk of overheating.

Where active cooling is needed, the EIA says that the UK needs to ensure that the most efficient “F-gas-free” equipment is used, and calls for an urgent review of the F-gas regulation to accelerate the HFC phase-out. District cooling and integrated heating and cooling networks should be expanded, it says, along with temperature management standards in commercial and public buildings.

In order to address existing labour shortages, the EIA calls for the development of a skilled workforce through mandatory training and certification for “natural” refrigerant technologies, alongside expanded programmes for cooling, heat pumps and passive design. 

Finally, the group calls to enhance public awareness and behavioural change, improving preparedness and reducing harm by treating heat as a major public health risk.