Pledge to cut emissions; dairy giants agree limits

Published December 6, 2023
Activists protest against fossil fuels on the sidelines of the COP28 United Nations climate summit in Dubai on Tuesday.—AFP
Activists protest against fossil fuels on the sidelines of the COP28 United Nations climate summit in Dubai on Tuesday.—AFP

DUBAI: The United States, Canada and Kenya were among 63 countries to join a pledge on Tuesday to deeply cut cooling-related emissions at the COP28 climate summit.

The Global Cooling Pledge marks the world’s first collective focus on climate-warming emissions from cooling, which includes refrigeration for food and medicine and air conditioning.

It commits countries to reduce by 2050 their cooling-related emissions by at least 68 per cent compared to 2022 levels, along with a suite of other targets including establishing minimum energy performance standards by 2030.

“We want to lay out a pathway to reduce cooling-related emissions across all sectors but increase access to sustainable cooling,” US climate envoy John Kerry told COP28.

Meanwhile, six of the world’s largest dairy companies will soon begin disclosing their methane emissions as part of a new global alliance launched at COP28.

The six members of the Dairy Methane Action Alliance —Danone, Bel Group, General Mills, Lactalis USA, Kraft Heinz and Nestle — will begin reporting their methane emissions by mid-2024 and will write methane action plans by the end of that year.

Methane is nearly 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide, acco­rding to the US Environment Protection Agency.

Published in Dawn, December 6th, 2023

Opinion

Editorial

Iran stalemate
Updated 02 May, 2026

Iran stalemate

THE US and Iran are currently somewhere between war and peace. While a tenuous ceasefire — extended largely due to...
Tax shortfall
02 May, 2026

Tax shortfall

THE Rs684bn shortfall in tax collection during the first 10 months of the fiscal year is a continuation of a...
Teaching inclusion
02 May, 2026

Teaching inclusion

DISCRIMINATORY and exclusionary content in Punjab’s textbooks has been flagged in Inclusive Education for a United...
Water vision
01 May, 2026

Water vision

WATER insecurity in Pakistan has been building up for decades as per capita water availability has declined from...
Vaccine policy
01 May, 2026

Vaccine policy

PAKISTAN has finally approved its first National Vaccine Policy; a step the health ministry has rightly described as...
Labour rights
Updated 01 May, 2026

Labour rights

THE annual observance of May Day should move beyond statements about the state’s commitment to the rights of...