Sustainable cooling in a warming world

This report focuses on the exploration of existing low-emission cooling solutions to extreme heat through the review of international and UK evidence, with a particular focus on London in addition to 14 case studies from around the world.

The need to cool ourselves, and briefly escape the consequences of climate change, is driving more climate change. Thankfully, there are ways to break these cycles and form greener habits.

Through a multi-sector, multi-country programmatic financing mechanism, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) is using the finance entrusted to it to improve the situation in developing countries by transforming the cooling sector.

Using statistical models trained on a large multi-country household survey dataset, this study projects AC adoption and energy use to mid-century at fine spatial resolution worldwide.

The Cooling Solution project showcases global resilience to climate challenges and how different communities adapt to high heat and humidity in countries most affected by climate change.

This policy brief asserts that the UK needs coordinated plans to stop homeowners resorting to emissions-creating air conditioning. Overheating is already a problem in UK homes, resulting in increasing levels of discomfort, illness and death.

A radical shift in policy is needed to manage energy use and reduce cooling demand.

Researchers set out to achieve passive cooling inside naturally conditioned buildings in hot, arid climates.

India must urgently address its urban heat challenge not only as a climate challenge but also as a development challenge.

This report shines a light on the cooling access challenges faced today and how they may change by 2030. It shows that the risks to the most vulnerable from extreme heat are growing due to a lack of access to sustainable cooling.