Tracey Crowe & Kate Hughes talk: "Cooling for Climate Action"

Past Event

Date
25 October 2021, 2:00pm - 3:00pm

Event Recording:

Cooling is necessary for the quality of life of billions of people living across countries.

Whether in hot climates or in regions that are traditionally unprepared for ever more frequent heatwaves due to climate change. The energy needed for air conditioning is likely to triple by 2050, with an equivalent of ten new air conditioning units projected to be sold every second for the next 30 years (as per the IEA). This huge demand has the potential to drive up greenhouse gas emissions and exacerbate the very problem it is designed to alleviate. The Future of Cooling Programme’s vision is to understand and shape worldwide cooling solutions which place planetary stewardship and protecting people’s needs at their heart. These will inform and help prepare countries for extreme heat events by prioritising passive and less energy-intensive technology, while shifting the trajectory of cooling growth towards sustainability.

As we move towards one of the most important rounds of the UNFCCC Climate Negotiations, the Future of Cooling programme is hosting a series of online seminars leading up to COP26. The motivation behind the series is the need for high-profile and broad-reaching conversations on tackling cooling as a system -- one that is integral to addressing the climate crisis. The webinars will engage in conversation with academics, industry and policy makers, and cover each of the themes that link to the programme’s framework on sustainable cooling: social interactions and cooling cultures; cooling technology and innovation; models for sustainable cold chains; circular cooling economy; infrastructure design for sustainable cooling; and finally, cooling for climate action.

Please note there has been a change of speaker for this talk.

This talk is organised by the Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Cooling

Tracey Crowe
SEforALL Chief of Staff and Senior Director of Internal Programmes

Tracey has a diverse background in international relations, clean energy, carbon markets and communications. She has worked for a variety of organizations within the climate and clean energy sectors, including successfully managing the Secretariat for the Clean Energy Ministerial when it was hosted at the US Department of Energy. Tracey has also advised senior officials on clean energy policy and technology cooperation opportunities and has spearheaded clean energy related campaigns and initiatives. She has a Masters of Science degree in Carbon Management from the University of Edinburgh as well as an undergraduate degree in Communications.

https://www.seforall.org/people/tracey-crowe

Kate Hughes

Kate Hughes
Director, International Climate Change, BEIS

Kate Hughes is currently the Director for International Climate Change in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). Kate leads teams working on COP26 and the long-term global transition to net zero, including supporting clean energy transitions, green finance, sustainable supply chains and increasing the uptake of electric vehicles.

In her previous role, Kate was the Senior Reporting Officer for BEIS’s share of the £5.8bn International Climate Fund, overseeing a range of programmes designed to support developing countries to respond to the challenges and opportunities of climate change. The portfolio included projects aimed at reducing deforestation, mobilising private finance, scaling up low carbon technologies and providing cutting-edge technical assistance, drawing on UK clean growth expertise.

Prior to working in BEIS, Kate had a number of roles working on climate, energy and environmental issues in DFID, DECC and DEFRA.