Cooling is a developmental need as well as a cross-sector requirement. In future, demand for cooling in Bangladesh will grow due to global warming, the rapid pace of economic growth, rising per capita
income, population growth, and rapid urbanization. Much of the country’s cooling requirement is met using refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) technologies. These are based on the use of either synthetic or natural refrigerants. Most synthetic refrigerants have either an ozone depleting potential (ODP) and/or a global warming potential (GWP), and they are regulated for phasing out/phasing down to agreed schedules under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, to which Bangladesh is a party. Bangladesh accessed the Montreal Protocol in August 1990 and ratified all the subsequent amendments. The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol provided an opportunity for maintaining and/or enhancing energy efficiency, while transitioning away from hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). A significant proportion of total carbon emissions from RAC equipment is due to energy consumption, with the rest due to refrigerant leakage.