A green cooling project in Botswana has been validated for participation in carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. The validation could enable the country to access climate finance for verified emission reductions.
Developed by the Cooling Program for Southern Africa (CooPSA), the project’s Mitigation Action Design Document covers the market introduction of R290 split air conditioners and the replacement of thousands of conventional split AC units.
According to CooPSA, each “Green AC” can avoid up to 24.1 t CO2eq in direct and indirect emissions. The emission savings are intended to be calculated, converted into carbon credits and sold under Article 6.
The document was previously validated by government stakeholders and has now also been validated by an independent validator accredited as a Designated Operational Entity by the UNFCCC and approved by Switzerland’s Federal Office for the Environment to assess Article 6 opportunities.
Once its Carbon Market Framework is ready, Botswana will be able to use the cooling project to generate and sell Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes. The proceeds can be used for continued climate action.
