The world is facing a climate emergency that threatens life on our planet. To avoid irreversible damage, it's crucial that we limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. In the UK, we have set ambitious targets to end our contribution to global warming by 2050, but progress has been slow in areas like heating and cooling, which account for over a third of our emissions.

The UK government has pledged £3 billion to improve energy efficiency in buildings, as part of a green recovery program after the COVID-19 pandemic. We need to reduce heat demand, increase low-carbon heating, and create a long-term policy framework for a national transition.

Cooling is becoming more important due to population growth and climate change. Up to 10% of all UK electricity is used for cooling and air conditioning, and we can expect an increase in demand as temperatures rise. However, installing individual split air conditioning systems could strain the electricity system, leading to increased GHG emissions and overloading an already constrained electricity network.

To avoid these negative outcomes, we need to transform the UK energy system, including heating and cooling, with energy efficiency, heat pumps, heating and cooling networks, and potentially hydrogen. We also need to modernize, digitize, and automate cooling infrastructure and buildings, to ensure a safe, efficient, reliable, and sustainable system.

The transition to net-zero will only be successful if all disciplines contributing to it are fully integrated. The transformation of large systems relies critically on social elements, including public expectations, beliefs, and acceptability of novel technologies and solutions, changes in behaviours, and policy and institutional change. We need policy and legislative support to drive low carbon outcomes, as the system change can be extremely slow due to the effects of lock-in and incumbency.

In summary, we need to take urgent action to decarbonize heating and cooling and reduce emissions from buildings to meet net-zero targets. This will require significant investments in innovation, infrastructure, and policy frameworks, as well as changes in individual and societal behaviours. Together, we can build a safe, sustainable, and prosperous future for ourselves and generations to come.