Efficient and Clean Cooling

Integrating Behavior Change in Energy Efficiency Programs in Developing Countries

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The Challenge

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned that at 1.5ºC of global warming, 2.3 billion people could be both exposed and vulnerable to heatwave events: a threshold that could be reached as early as 2030.

In a warming world, over 1 billion people globally are already deemed at risk from the lack of cooling systems (SEforALL 2020). Overwhelmingly, many developing countries still lack access to cooling —from cold chains and refrigeration to ensure the safety of foods, medicine, and vaccines; to space cooling to ensure comfortable, healthy, and productive homes, institutions, and workplaces The need to adapt and build resilience in a rapidly warming climate —together with growing populations, urbanization, and rising disposable income levels in developing countries —are driving the exponentially growing demand for cooling services in many developing countries, which is associated with a projected rapid increase in cooling-related energy demand and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (associated with both the GHG-intensity of electricity grids and refrigerants in cooling equipment). This, in turn, puts pressure on already strained energy systems and hampers efforts to curb climate change.

graph depicting integrated approaches for sustainable cooling solutions

ESMAP's Response

ESMAP launched the Efficient and Clean Cooling initiative to accelerate the uptake of sustainable cooling solutions across sectors. The initiative seeks to help countries develop the necessary market infrastructure, financing mechanisms, and policies and regulations to deploy sustainable cooling at scale, focusing on air conditioning, refrigeration and cold chain, cooling needs in transport, cool surfaces such as reflective roofs, walls and pavements, and mitigation of urban heat island effects.

The initiative provides technical assistance to support the inclusion of efficient, clean cooling in World Bank Group policy dialogues, including in the context of countries’ climate change Nationally Determined Contributions and sectoral strategies, investment projects, and countries’ responses to the COVID-19 crisis. The initiative also seeks to mobilize additional financing to support the scale-up of affordable sustainable cooling solutions.

Another area of focus will be working with public, private, non-governmental, and philanthropic partners to help raise awareness around efficient, clean cooling opportunities in emerging markets.

The Efficient, Clean Cooling Initiative was established in 2019 thanks to an initial US$3 million grant to ESMAP from the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program (K-CEP), a philanthropic program established to help developing countries transition to energy efficient, climate-friendly, and affordable cooling solutions.