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The hidden PFAS challenge in cooling
Headline: Cool Up MENA Region Cooling Status Report – Issue 4: Progress, Opportunities, and Insights.
The fourth edition of Cool Up’s MENA Region Cooling Status Report has just been published! Building on the findings from last year’s report, it provides a comprehensive overview of how cooling is not only a matter of energy efficiency and climate policy but is evolving into a critical infrastructure for healthcare resilience across the MENA region. Additionally, the report explicitly integrates PFAS risks and the formation of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) from fluorinated refrigerants, positioning refrigerant choice not only as a climate and efficiency issue, but as a long-term water and environmental safety concern.
Rising demand ahead
The latest update on evolving cooling markets and policies highlights strong growth in air-conditioning demand and the increasing role of policy mechanisms such as National Cooling Action Plans and Kigali implementation strategies. Rising demand will come with significant implications for electricity systems, peak loads, and overall climate resilience. Besides, as temperatures rise and urbanisation accelerate, extensive cooling will become a crucial part of mitigating public health impacts. A dedicated section explores cooling as public health infrastructure, showing how access to safe and efficient cooling is becoming essential to reduce heat-related illness, ensure reliable healthcare services, and maintain productivity during extreme heat events.
Change to natural refrigerants also for matter of public health
Building upon the public health perspective, another core focus of this issue is chemical safety associated particularly with refrigerants. Featuring an exclusive interview with Prof. Dr. Michael Kauffeld, Head of Department at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences and technical expert for refrigeration engineering, the report highlights growing concerns around fluorinated refrigerants and their link to persistent PFAS substances, underscoring the importance of refrigerant choice for both environmental and health outcomes. In parallel, it explores technological developments, including the increasing viability of natural refrigerants such as CO₂, ammonia, and hydrocarbons in high-ambient climates.
The way forward
The report concludes with clear recommendations for policymakers and stakeholders. These include strengthening minimum energy performance standards, accelerating the transition to low-GWP and PFAS-free refrigerants, integrating cooling into public health and climate strategies, and investing in skills, monitoring systems, and financing mechanisms. Issue 4 proofs sustainable cooling to be a key lever to align energy, health, and environmental objectives in the region.