Study: Switzerland sees largest increase in cooling systems in global warming

In Switzerland, cooling demand is expected to increase the most if the 2-degree target is not met. That is the conclusion of a new British study into the effects of climate change, published in Nature Sustainability.

The question of where refrigeration energy demand increases is critical, as there is no evidence that global warming of 1.5 degrees can still be avoided.

The results show that regions around the equator, particularly sub-Saharan regions, have experienced the greatest increase in cooling demand. However, should the climate continue to warm, countries such as Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Norway would see the largest relative increases – countries that are not prepared for high temperatures. Accordingly, extensive modifications to the heat resistance would be required.

In Switzerland and Great Britain, the number of days with uncomfortably high temperatures will increase by 30 percent if the global temperature rises by 2 degrees. The research is based on climate models and data from the British Met Office.

Northern European countries are insufficiently prepared for sustainable cooling alternatives and would have difficulty with higher temperatures, the researchers predict. Currently, buildings in Northern Europe are often built in such a way that they store heat in the cold season and can become very hot in the summer.

Forecasts from the Swiss research institute Empa confirm that the need for cooling in Switzerland is increasing and will have a major impact on our energy system. In an extreme scenario, the researchers calculate that by the middle of the century almost as much energy will be needed for cooling as for heating. About 40 percent of energy consumption in Switzerland today is accounted for by buildings, the majority of which is for heating.

To the extent that fossil fuels are used to cool homes, this could further fuel climate change, warns co-author Dr. Radhika Khosla, to The Guardian: