Search Climate Insights Directory

The Rwanda Cooling Initiative (R-COOL), launched in 2018 by UNEP, BASE, and REMA, implements energy performance standards and labels to promote climate-friendly cooling. In 2021, the initiative expanded to include a financing initiative (FI) based on a 'green-on wage' model, aiming to provide low-interest loans for public and private sector employees to purchase approved appliances, with a target of unlocking USD 1 million for 12,500 appliances by 2024.

Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) maintains a partnership with the United Nations Office of Project Services (UNOPS) established in 2016, where UNOPS provides operational support including fund management, personnel contracting, and procurement. SEforALL asserts that it retains full oversight of funds managed by UNOPS and conducts annual audits of its consolidated financials. The statement acknowledges media reports of fund mismanagement regarding UNOPS's S3i impact investing initiative and notes that an independent investigation by the United Nations is underway.

The document highlights the stagnation of energy access at Kenyan government health facilities, which grew only 1% between 2016 and 2021. It details the failures of absorption technology refrigerators relying on LPG, which are described as environmentally damaging and prone to vaccine freezing. To address this, the Kenyan Ministry of Health aims to equip all facilities with 'optimal CCE' by 2026, utilizing technology that meets WHO and Gavi standards for freeze protection, holdover time, and fossil-fuel-free operation.

The document argues that end-user subsidies are essential for achieving universal electricity access by reducing product costs for the poorest households. It analyzes two primary methodologies for calculating the affordability gap—the SEforALL 'Taking the Pulse' and the World Bank 'Market Trends' approaches—and identifies key design attributes including financing structures, delivery modalities, and verification systems. Through case studies, it demonstrates that successful programmes, like those in Ghana and Togo, rely on accurate demographic data and effective public-private partnerships, whereas the Ugandan experience highlights risks such as payment delays and inaccurate subsidy thresholds. The brief concludes that harmonized data metrics and a modified energy burden threshold for emerging economies are necessary to prevent market distortion and improve targeting.

The document examines India's power sector financing between 2013 and 2019, noting that while utility-scale renewables dominate tracked commitments, continued investment in coal-fired power creates significant misalignment with Paris Agreement temperature goals. It highlights the risk of stranded assets in the thermal sector and proposes innovative financial mechanisms, such as green bonds and foreign exchange hedges, to accelerate the energy transition.

The document analyzes power sector financing in Indonesia from 2015 to 2020, revealing a significant investment gap for renewables and a continued reliance on fossil fuels. While international finance for coal dropped sharply after 2018, domestic finance remains heavily skewed toward fossil fuels. To meet the 2060 Net Zero target, Indonesia requires USD 16.1 billion annually for renewables, compared to a tracked average of USD 2.7 billion. The report highlights solar energy as having the largest investment gap and suggests leveraging blended finance, green sukuk, and the Energy Transition Mechanism to phase out coal and scale up clean energy.

The methodology identifies four risk profiles based on income and electricity access: rural poor, urban poor, lower-middle income, and middle-income. It utilizes three forecasting scenarios—Current trends, SDG7.1 (universal electricity access), and a combined SDG7.1 and SDG1.1 (universal electricity and extreme poverty reduction to 3% or less)—to analyze vulnerability to heat. The analysis covers 54 high-impact countries and 22 additional countries with extreme heat hazards, incorporating data on population growth, urbanization, and informal settlements.

This report chapter analyzes the growth of the lower-middle-income population in high-impact countries in 2022, highlighting the risks associated with their potential purchase of inefficient cooling devices and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on income levels.

This report section analyzes the increasing vulnerability of the urban poor to extreme heat across 54 high-impact countries in 2022, highlighting a rise in the population at high risk due to lack of access to cooling.

Financing for sustainable cooling is complex because needs vary across populations and businesses, requiring a diverse array of financial instruments including public procurement, grants, subsidies, and commercial financing. A significant development in 2021 was the establishment of a USD 157 million Cooling Facility by the World Bank and Green Climate Fund to support nine developing countries. The appropriateness of these financial flows depends on local conditions such as poverty levels and energy access tiers.

This chapter of the 'Chilling Prospects' report examines the enabling environment for sustainable cooling, specifically focusing on policy progress, financial flows, and the development of a community of practice.

The report evaluates sustainable cooling policy progress in the 'Critical 9' countries, finding that while energy efficiency policies exist, they are inconsistently implemented and often fail to cover off-grid devices or reflect best-in-class technology. It highlights a significant gap in integrating cooling demand into national electrification planning and financial incentives, while noting varying levels of adoption of National Cooling Action Plans (NCAPs) and the Kigali Amendment.

The document describes the evolving landscape of the sustainable cooling community of practice, highlighting the growth of initiatives since the 2016 Kigali Amendment and the roles of various philanthropic, multilateral, and international organizations in coordinating advocacy, finance, and technical support.

This report section analyzes the middle-income population at risk due to a lack of access to sustainable cooling in 2022, focusing on high-impact countries. It details a global decline in this demographic, driven largely by the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and provides regional and country-specific breakdowns of population shifts.

The report highlights the critical link between sustainable cooling and the achievement of SDG3 (good health and well-being), emphasizing that vaccine efficacy and patient care depend on reliable cold chains and temperature-controlled environments. It identifies significant gaps in cold chain equipment and electricity access in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and Gavi-eligible nations. The document advocates for a combination of passive design, nature-based solutions, and energy-efficient appliances, such as super-efficient refrigerators and solar direct drive technology, to ensure health service resilience in a warming world.

The document highlights that 13% of all food production is lost due to a lack of cold chains, amounting to 526 million tonnes annually. This deficiency disproportionately affects low-income countries, with Asia holding the highest share of food loss at 48%. The report argues that expanding sustainable cooling can reduce food losses by 55% and cold chain emissions by 55%, while improving incomes for smallholder farmers. It identifies 54 high-impact countries, noting that while China and India have the highest volumes of loss, several African nations exhibit the highest energy inefficiency in food production. Proposed solutions include National Cooling Action Plans, Cooling as a Service (CaaS) models, and Community Cooling Hubs.

The document outlines the policy tracking approach used in the Chilling Prospects series to assess sustainable cooling progress in the 'Critical 9' countries. It details the goals of this tracking, the specific policy areas assessed, and the data sources used to evaluate regulatory, information, and incentive policies across various cooling technologies and needs.

This report section analyzes the growth of the rural poor population lacking access to cooling across 54 high-impact countries in 2022, highlighting the role of the COVID-19 pandemic in increasing extreme poverty despite improvements in electricity access.

The Energy Transition Council (ETC) aims to make clean power the most affordable and reliable option for developing countries by 2030. For 2022, its priorities include continuing high-level political dialogues, scaling the Rapid Response Facility (RRF) for technical assistance, and coordinating with international initiatives like the GGI-OSOWOG and the Just Transition Declaration. The ETC focuses on eight key areas: integrated energy planning, utility-scale renewables, coal and fossil fuel transition, investment policy, green grids, energy efficiency, distributed renewable energy, and just transition.

The report highlights the escalating risks of extreme heat on human health and productivity, noting that 356,000 people died from extreme heat in 2019. It argues that while cooling demand is expected to soar—with space-cooling units potentially reaching 2.5 billion by 2030—this must be managed through sustainable solutions to avoid tripling global electricity demand by 2050. The text advocates for a mix of passive cooling, nature-based solutions, and energy-efficient active cooling, supported by policies like Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) and the appointment of Chief Heat Officers in cities such as Athens and Miami Dade County.