"The way we cool things down is heating the planet even more," says sustainable development expert Rachel Kyte and the solutions go well beyond just fixing air-conditioning. She identifies four major areas with transformative solutions from roofs painted with bright white paint to solar control glass to more efficient cold chains for vaccines that can be implemented in fair and sustainable ways. Learn more about what a community designed for cool could look like.
"The way we cool things down is heating the planet even more," says sustainable development expert Rachel Kyte and the solutions go well beyond just fixing air-conditioning. She identifies four major areas with transformative solutions from roofs painted with bright white paint to solar control glass to more efficient cold chains for vaccines that can be implemented in fair and sustainable ways. Learn more about what a community designed for cool could look like.
In a warming world, access to sustainable cooling is not a luxury. It is essential for productivity, a healthy diet, and the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines. Today 1.09 billion vulnerable people are at high risk because they face a range of cooling access challenges. COVID-19 has intensified the situation with those forced into poverty due to the pandemic contributing to the 50 million additional urban and rural poor at high risk in 2021. Meanwhile, another 2.3 billion from the lower-middle income group face a different risk – inefficient cooling and refrigeration options that increase harmful GHG levels. Across 54 high-impact countries, 3.4 billion people face cooling access risks in 2021.