With Europe now recognised as the world’s fastest-warming continent, the need for sustainable cooling has never been greater. The Cool Heating Coalition has published a new position paper calling on EU, national, and local authorities to prioritise cooling policies that protect people, stabilise energy systems, and cut pollution.
A warming continent, a growing need
Over the past forty years, the number of days requiring cooling in Europe has nearly quadrupled, a trend the European Environment Agency warns will only intensify. According to the latest figures, one in five Europeans struggle to stay cool in summer, leaving millions vulnerable to extreme heat. In 2022 alone, more than 60,000 people across Europe died from heat-related causes in just three months, underlining the urgent public health risk.
Average annual heat deaths have soared from around 2,700 between 1981 and 2016 to 41,000 today. With global warming surpassing 1.5°C, this trend is set to continue unless decisive action is taken.
Cooling as a public policy challenge
Space cooling is now the fastest-growing use of energy in the EU. Even with moderate policies, energy demand for cooling is expected to rise from 2% to 9% of total electricity use by 2050. Without strong measures, this growth could spiral as households and businesses increasingly rely on conventional air conditioning to cope with heatwaves.
The June 2025 heatwave offered a stark warning: surging cooling demand drove up electricity consumption by as much as 14%, straining grids and raising the risk of power outages. Worse still, current cooling systems contribute directly to climate change through both energy use and the leakage of F-gas refrigerants, which account for around 30% of cooling-related emissions.
Towards sustainable solutions
The Cool Heating Coalition argues that Europe must act now to avoid locking itself into a high-emissions cooling pathway. By adopting an avoid-improve-shift-protect framework, policymakers can deliver cooling that is not only sustainable, but also affordable, resilient, and fair.
European, national, regional, and local authorities all have a role to play in ensuring cooling supports, rather than undermines, the energy transition. Sustainable cooling must be treated as a core pillar of climate, health, and energy policy.