Search Climate Insights Directory
251 results
CHILLING PROSPECTS: TRACKING SUSTAINABLE COOLING FOR ALL
The 2019 report 'Chilling Prospects' tracks the progress of sustainable cooling access, noting that 1.05 billion people remain at high risk due to lack of cooling. It highlights the development of National Cooling Plans in China and India and introduces the 'Cooling for All Needs Assessment' to move beyond equipment-based projections toward a holistic approach covering human safety, food security, and health services. The report emphasizes the risk posed by the 2.2 billion lower-middle income people who may adopt inefficient cooling devices, increasing GHG emissions.
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Document type: Report
CHILLING PROSPECTS: TRACKING SUSTAINABLE COOLING FOR ALL
The report identifies that 1.05 billion people remain at high risk due to a lack of cooling access, while another 2.2 billion are at risk of adopting inefficient cooling technologies. It advocates for a shift from equipment-based projections to a needs-based assessment covering thermal comfort, food security, and medical cold chains. Key progress is noted in the development of National Cooling Plans in India, China, and Rwanda, alongside the launch of the Cool Coalition and innovative financing models like Cooling as a Service (CaaS).
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Document type: Report
Lancet Countdown Report: Tracking Progress on Health and Climate Change
The 2018 Lancet Countdown identifies extreme heat as the primary health concern globally, noting that 157 million more vulnerable people were exposed to heat waves in 2017 compared to 2000. In Canada, the report links air pollution from human activity to 7,142 premature deaths in 2015, with health impacts valued at $53.5 billion. The document advocates for carbon pricing, the phase-out of coal-fired power plants by 2030, and the integration of climate health into medical curricula.
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Document type: Fact sheet
SEI Initiative on City Health and Wellbeing
The SEI Initiative on City Health and Wellbeing focuses on the intersection of urban growth, environmental quality, and resident wellbeing, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Using case studies in Nakuru, Kenya, and Udon Thani, Thailand, the initiative employs a multi-disciplinary approach to study the impact of urban forms, co-design citizen science monitoring, analyze urban metabolism through participatory modelling, and examine governance for urban equity. The goal is to generate evidence that informs holistic decision-making and sustainable urban planning, integrating health and wellbeing with climate change mitigation and resilience.
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Document type: Briefing
Growing the green economy – in your back garden
The guide outlines how urban gardens in the UK can mitigate the urban heat island effect, reduce energy consumption, and lower carbon footprints through strategic planting, water conservation, composting, and home-grown food production.
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Document type: Guide
Heat Waves and Climate Change
The document details how climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of heat waves in the United States, leading to higher mortality rates and significant disruptions. It highlights the disproportionate vulnerability of children, the elderly, low-income and minority populations, and outdoor workers. Beyond health, extreme heat damages transportation infrastructure, reduces agricultural yields, and strains the electricity grid, necessitating a transition to low-carbon energy solutions and adaptive urban design to mitigate these risks.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Heat Waves and Climate Change
The document details how climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of heat waves across the United States, leading to severe health risks and societal disruptions. It highlights the vulnerability of specific populations, such as the elderly and outdoor workers, and the role of the urban heat-island effect. The text argues that stabilizing carbon emissions and adhering to the Paris Agreement can significantly reduce the projected increase in extreme temperatures and the frequency of heat waves by mid-century.
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Document type: Fact sheet
THE HIGH COST OF HOT
Climate Central's analysis of 244 U.S. cities reveals that 93% have seen an increase in cooling degree days and 87% have experienced more warm nights since 1970. The report highlights the role of urban heat islands and the increasing reliance on air conditioning, which costs Americans over $27 billion annually for home cooling as of 2015. While energy efficiency standards may reduce cooling electricity consumption by nearly 20% by 2040, the report warns that fossil-fuel-powered cooling and improper appliance disposal exacerbate climate change.
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Document type: Report
Cooling for All Policy Review
The report assesses the global landscape of Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) for air conditioners and refrigerators, building energy efficiency codes, and urban heat mitigation. It highlights significant gaps in policy adoption and enforcement in Africa and other emerging markets, while noting that aligning standards with Best Available Technologies (BAT) could improve appliance energy performance by 50% to 65%.
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Document type: Report
Cooling for All
The report outlines a variety of passive and active cooling strategies for urban environments, ranging from nature-based solutions like tree planting and green roofs to technical interventions such as cool pavements and district cooling systems. It emphasizes the importance of integrated urban planning, the implementation of Heat Action Plans to protect vulnerable populations, and the use of diverse policy incentives and business models to scale these solutions.
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Document type: Report
Cooling for All
The report examines the growing global need for cooling, driven by urbanization and rising incomes, particularly in developing countries. It warns that a surge in air conditioning (AC) use could lead to massive increases in electricity demand and urban heat island effects. The document also details the critical role of cold chains in reducing food loss and ensuring vaccine viability, while emphasizing the need to 'leapfrog' high-emission cooling technologies to avoid severe environmental impacts.
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Document type: Report
Background Documents Cooling for All
The document is a full bibliography of sources used for the 'Cooling for All' project, listing reports, academic papers, and articles related to sustainable cooling, urban heat mitigation, and energy access.
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Document type: Report
The Carbon-Free City Handbook: Biological Resources
The document outlines three primary actions for cities to reduce their carbon footprint through biological resource management: diverting organic waste from landfills to prevent methane emissions, expanding urban forestry to create carbon sinks and reduce cooling energy needs, and promoting plant-based diets to lower food-related emissions.
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Document type: Guide
Heat action plans: Scaling up India’s ambition to protect the climate-vulnerable
The document details the implementation of South Asia's first Heat Action Plan in Ahmedabad, which has since influenced 17 cities and 11 Indian states. It outlines the multifaceted threats of heat waves—including health risks, economic productivity loss, and infrastructure damage—and provides a framework for preparedness through early warning systems, public awareness, medical capacity building, and long-term urban adaptation like 'cool roofs'. The guide emphasizes the roles of political will, inter-agency partnerships, and scientific evidence in successfully scaling these interventions.
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Document type: Guide
THE LOCAL BUSINESS CASE FOR CLIMATE ACTION
The paper identifies five key levers—power and leadership, communication and engagement, capacity building, financing implementation, and demonstration effect—essential for successful climate action in cities. Drawing on seven CDKN-supported projects across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, it argues that city governments face significant barriers, including short political cycles, fragmented governance, and limited financial resources. The framework serves as a checklist for donors and practitioners to create investable and implementable climate propositions, highlighting the importance of local champions, tailored business cases, and cross-city collaboration to scale successful interventions like India's Heat Action Plans.
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Document type: Research paper
Building a Climate-Resilient City: The built environment
The document outlines strategies for increasing the resilience of the built environment against climate stresses, such as variable snow loads and urban heat island effects. It highlights the utility of design tools like the PIEVC protocol and the Climate Change Hazards Information Portal, as well as the role of green space and architectural protocols like LEED in mitigating climate risks.
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Document type: Policy brief
Climate attribution science: a useful tool to plan for extreme heat events
The document discusses the increasing frequency and magnitude of extreme heat events in India, highlighting the role of climate attribution science in identifying the human-induced causes of these events. It emphasizes that such science helps decision-makers create targeted heat action plans that account for vulnerability, exposure, and local factors like the urban heat island effect, air pollution, and humidity. The brief notes that while aerosols can temporarily lower peak temperatures, their reduction through clean energy policies may increase heat wave intensity. It advocates for coordinated government responses, early warning systems, and capacity building to protect marginalized populations, such as slum dwellers and outdoor workers, who are most at risk.
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Document type: Policy brief
Building a Climate-Resilient City: The built environment
The document argues that current building codes often fail to account for climate change, leaving urban infrastructure vulnerable to increasing temperature variability and extreme weather. It advocates for the adoption of robust design protocols like PIEVC and CCHIP, the mitigation of the urban heat island (UHI) effect through strategic green space planning, and the use of resource-efficiency certifications such as LEED and the Living Building Challenge to create a more resilient urban fabric.
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Document type: Briefing
Building a Climate-Resilient City
The document argues that proactive investment in climate resilience reduces long-term financial risks and liability costs for municipalities. It advocates for 'multiple-bottom-line' accounting and the valuation of ecosystem services (eco-asset accounting) to prioritize cost-effective natural infrastructure over expensive engineered solutions. The briefing details various financing mechanisms to enhance urban robustness, redundancy, and resourcefulness, including green bonds, public-private partnerships, user fees, and the use of Alberta's carbon levy. It concludes with strategic recommendations to embed resilience into zoning, permitting, and planning processes.
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Document type: Briefing
Building a Climate-Resilient City: Urban ecosystems
The document examines how urban ecosystems and green infrastructure provide critical environmental, social, and economic services that protect cities from climate shocks. It highlights projected temperature increases in Alberta and advocates for a resilience framework based on robustness, redundancy, and resourcefulness. The brief provides recommendations for municipal governments to integrate biodiversity into planning, use asset management for natural spaces, and engage citizens in environmental stewardship.
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Document type: Policy brief