LatAm Lags in SAF Production Amid Rising Cooling Demand

This week in sustainability news: Global Cooling Watch 2025 warned that cooling demand could triple by 2050, requiring urgent action to expand access. Meanwhile, Microsoft and Powertrust announced a new agreement to support 270 MW of distributed solar projects in Mexico and Brazil. ALTA cautioned that Latin America currently produces no Sustainable Aviation Fuel, a critical factor for the aviation industry’s long-term competitiveness.

More news below:

UN Report Warns Cooling Demand Could Triple by 2050

The Global Cooling Watch 2025 developed by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) warns that heatwaves are the deadliest climate hazard, and that expanding cooling access must happen sustainably and equitably.  The document, released at COP30 in Belem, Brazil, finds that global cooling capacity could rise from 22TW in 2022 to 68TW in 2050. Even with efficiency improvements and the phasedown of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), sector emissions could increase from 4.1Gt of CO₂e to 7.2Gt by mid-century. UNEP states that heat exposure is rising as populations and incomes grow in hotter regions, particularly in Africa and South Asia, where unmanaged air-conditioning adoption could strain grids and trigger power outages.

Microsoft, Powertrust to Support 270 MW of Distributed Solar

Powertrust, a Vancouver-based clean energy financing and aggregation platform, announced a new agreement with Microsoft to support the deployment of 270 MW of distributed solar projects in Mexico and Brazil over the next four years. Under the agreement, Microsoft will purchase RECs generated by Powertrust-supported solar installations in both countries. 

ALTA Warns Zero SAF Production Threatens Regional Aviation

According to new data from theLatin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA), the region produces no Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and has no active development projects. The lack of regional SAF production could raise operating costs by US$318 billion, with airlines warning that the financial burden threatens connectivity, competitiveness, and long-term compliance with global emissions targets. The study finds that Mexico—Latin America’s second-largest aviation fuel consumer and home to one of the world’s youngest fleets—has limited prospects for SAF production. By 2050, when the aviation sector must reach net-zero emissions, Mexico is expected to produce only 3% of the region’s SAF. 

Mexico Leads Regional Push for Sustainable Ocean Planning

As part of the regional joint-learning event titled “Toward a 100% Sustainable Ocean: Ocean Planning and Regional Action post-UNOC3,” technical specialists and ministerial representatives from across Latin America and the Caribbean gathered to analyze Sustainable Ocean Plans (SOPs). The event was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Mexico, the Organization of American States (OAS) in Mexico, the World Resources Institute’s (WRI) Ocean Action 2030 Initiative, the Environmental Defense Fund, and the World Economic Forum (WEF).

SEMARNAT Advances Gender-Focused Environmental Policy

The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) and the Ministry of Women signed a cooperation agreement today to integrate a gender perspective into environmental policies, programs, and actions; strengthen women’s participation in decision-making; and improve protection mechanisms for women land and environmental defenders. Alicia Bárcena, Minister, SEMARNAT, stated that this alliance marks a fundamental step toward ensuring that environmental policies are built on substantive equality and social justice. “Gender-based violence is unacceptable, and today we are in the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence because we want to achieve more just and equal societies,” she said.