India’s Cooling Action Plan(ICAP)

News:India’s Cooling Action Plan(ICAP) has been appreciated internationally by the United Nations(UN) on World Ozone Day.

Facts:

About ICAP:

• India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) was launched in 2019 the Union Minister for Ministry for Environment, Forest & Climate Change
• The goal of ICAP is to provide sustainable cooling and thermal comfort for all while securing environmental & socio-economic benefits for the society

Objectives:

• Provide an integrated approach towards cooling and related areas including reduction in the cooling demand, in order to reduce emissions. 
• Assessment of cooling requirements across the sectors in the next 20 years and the associated refrigerant demand and energy use. 
• Map the technologies available to cater the cooling requirement including passive interventions, refrigerant-based technologies and alternative technologies such as not-in-kind technologies. 
• Providing skill training to RAC(Refrigeration and Air Conditioning) service technicians. 
• Develop an R&D innovation ecosystem for indigenous development of alternative technologies.

Targets:

• Reducing cooling demand across sectors by 20-25% by 2037-38
• Reduce refrigerant demand by 25-30%by 2037-38
• Reduce cooling energy requirements by 25-40% by 2037-38
• Recognize “cooling & related areas” as a thrust areas of research under national S&T program
• Training & certification of 100,000 servicing sector technicians by 2022-23, synergizing with Skill India Mission.

Benefits:

• Thermal comfort for all – provision for cooling for EWS and LIG housing.
• Sustainable cooling – low greenhouse gas(GHG) emissions related to cooling.
• Doubling Farmers Income – better cold chain infrastructure – better value of products to farmers, less wastage of produce.
• Skilled workforce for better livelihoods and environmental protection.
• Make in India – domestic manufacturing of air-conditioning and related cooling equipment.
• Robust R&D on alternative cooling technologies – to provide the push to innovation in a cooling sector.