Throughout this year, the GCEA deepened partnerships, informed global standards, and demonstrated the real-world performance needed to drive industry transformation.
Clean Cooling Collaborative Receives $30 Million Gift to Expand Access to Efficient, Climate-Friendly Cooling
Clean Cooling Collaborative is honored to receive a $30 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott and Yield Giving in support of our efforts to create a future where energy-efficient, climate-friendly cooling is accessible to all.
In a warming world, cooling has become both a lifeline for billions of people and a growing driver of greenhouse gas emissions, creating a profound paradox and a defining challenge for our time. By 2050, an estimated 3 billion new air conditioners are expected to be installed worldwide, along with billions of new refrigerators, ceiling fans, and other cooling equipment. Traditionally, these technologies are energy-intensive, and many of these appliances use super-polluting refrigerants. Without decisive action, global cooling-related emissions could nearly double to an estimated 7.2 gigatons (GT) of CO2e annually by mid-century, making cooling a critical sector for climate action.
By making cooling solutions more sustainable — and expanding access to them — we can protect people and the planet.
Transforming the Cooling Sector
Our north star is working to avoid 100 GT of cumulative CO2e from the cooling sector by 2050. With this support, the Clean Cooling Collaborative will begin to advance its refreshed strategy and work with implementing organizations across the world to:
- Catalyze global action and investment to help the ecosystem needed for clean cooling to develop and scale.
- Accelerate market transformation to support the widespread adoption of clean cooling solutions, both passive — like reflective “cool” roofs and efficient building design — and mechanical — such as super-efficient air conditioners and ceiling fans.
- Increase cooling access to protect low-income, urban communities from the risks of extreme heat.
As global temperatures rise and the demand for cooling surges, philanthropic support like this is crucial for catalyzing the action required to transform complex sectors like cooling.
Urgent Action in a Warming World
“The need for clean cooling for all has never been greater, and this generous gift from MacKenzie Scott will help the Clean Cooling Collaborative go bigger and act bolder in the years ahead,” said Noah Horowitz, Senior Director of the Clean Cooling Collaborative. “As heat and humidity intensify around the world, practical, people-centered cooling solutions are essential. When done right, clean cooling saves lives, cuts emissions, eases pressure on power grids and lowers energy costs, and strengthens community resilience. The time to act is now.”
MacKenzie Scott’s approach to philanthropy shows how generosity can meet the urgency of this moment. Her support highlights the need for bold ambition and decisive action to confront the climate crisis, and this gift will accelerate innovation and scale solutions that reduce emissions and strengthen global resilience.
How We Can Keep Cool Without Frying the Grid (Or the Planet)
Deploying smarter next-gen cooling technologies and flexible grids can beat summer heat without breaking the system.
Scaling Smarter Cooling: Inside the Cooling-as-a-Service Model
On 2 April 2025, the Cool Coalition hosted its April session of Cool Talks, which focused on Cooling-as-a-Service (CaaS), a model that is rapidly gaining traction for its potential to scale low-carbon cooling in diverse sectors and geographies.
Cooler Finance: Unlocking Sustainable Space Cooling for a Warming World
On 20 March 2025, the IFC, GlobalABC, and Cool Coalition co-hosted Cooler Finance: Sustainable Space Cooling for All, a webinar focused on the findings from the joint IFC–UNEP Cool Coalition report Cooler Finance: Mobilizing Investment for the Developing World’s Sustainable Cooling Needs.
Cool Talks Explore the Future of Sustainable Cooling
The Cool Coalition has launched Cool Talks, a new webinar series that brings together experts, policymakers, and industry leaders to advance solutions for climate-friendly cooling. Its inaugural session, “The Future of Global Cooling: Insights, Challenges & Priorities,” convened on 5 March 2025.
NDCs 3.0: Why Countries Should Include Ambitious Action on Cooling
The world stands at a critical juncture, with climate change’s intensifying impacts demanding bold, transformative action. Amid rising global temperatures, cooling has emerged as a critical solution to some of humanity’s greatest challenges.
Recognizing this, Clean Cooling Collaborative (CCC) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)-led Cool Coalition’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) Working Group have partnered to develop the Guidelines for Integrating the Cooling Sector into Nationally Determined Contributions. This resource, which will be published in March 2025, empowers nations to make sustainable cooling a cornerstone of their climate strategies, turning a key climate challenge into an opportunity for innovation and resilience.
The Importance of Ambitious NDCs
NDCs are the backbone of the Paris Agreement, representing each country’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate impacts. With the 2025 deadline for the third iteration of NDCs — dubbed NDCs 3.0 — rapidly approaching, nations have a crucial opportunity to enhance their climate ambitions, aligning immediate actions with the long-term goal of limiting global warming.
The 2023 Global Stocktake revealed a sobering reality: current efforts leave us on a path to catastrophic warming of 2.5–2.9° C (4.5–5.2° F), far from the Paris Agreement’s 1.5° C (2.7° F) target. To close this gap, the 2024 UNEP Emissions Gap Report stresses that global emissions must fall 42% below 2019 levels by 2030. Achieving the necessary course correction will require unprecedented ambition across all sectors — including cooling, a critical yet underrepresented area in climate action.
Cooling: A Critical Lever for Climate Mitigation and Adaptation
The cooling sector is responsible for significant emissions, both in terms of direct emissions from refrigerants and indirect emissions from energy consumption. Without action, these could reach 6.1 billion tons of CO2e annually by 2050.
Meanwhile, sustainable cooling can be a powerful tool in addressing extreme heat, supporting countries in their adaptation efforts, reversing emission trends, and safeguarding critical systems like food supply chains and healthcare.
The upcoming revision of countries’ NDCs offer a pathway to transforming cooling into a driver of progress, equity, and development. By prioritizing sustainable cooling, nations can unlock several climate, health, and economic co-benefits.
The Current State of Cooling in NDCs
To help advance sustainable cooling strategies in NDCs, CCC launched its NDC Support Facility for Efficient, Climate-Friendly Cooling in 2020. This initiative has supported 10 countries in implementing their strategies, while also elevating clean cooling as a critical component of global climate action.
The recognition of cooling in NDCs has since grown significantly, increasing from just seven countries in 2015 to over 100 today. However, significant gaps remain, with many nations yet to harness the full potential of sustainable cooling. While several exceptions stand out, most cooling-related NDC commitments are still too broad, with limited integration of specific, measurable targets or actionable strategies.
Leading examples illustrate the transformative power of cooling strategies:
• Burkina Faso has prioritized passive cooling in housing and appliance standards to target reduced energy demand while improving thermal comfort.
• Vietnam and Cambodia have both committed to the adoption of national cooling action plans that promote passive cooling strategies.
• Nigeria has focused on technician training and air conditioning efficiency standards to enhance technology adoption and workforce capacity.
As of January 2025, seven countries have submitted their NDCs 3.0. Among them, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom, the United States, and Uruguay have included specific cooling-related commitments, laying the groundwork for innovative, impactful interventions.
For example, the UAE has featured ambitious targets to improve the efficiency of district cooling, phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and enhance building energy codes. Their approach integrates cooling strategies across sectors, linking them to energy, health, and urban resilience goals.
A Roadmap for Ambitious Cooling Action
Countries can integrate sustainable cooling into their NDCs 3.0 by leveraging a combination of policy, technology, and financial mechanisms, depending on each country’s specific needs and circumstances. Key strategies can include:
• Improving the energy efficiency of cooling and refrigeration equipment and appliances.
• Accelerating the phasedown of HFCs beyond that required under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.
• Introducing lifecycle refrigerant management (LRM) initiatives.
• Ensuring equitable access to cooling for low-income and heat-vulnerable communities.
• Endorsing the Global Cooling Pledge, which supports all the above-mentioned strategies through the promotion of passive cooling, energy efficiency, and the phasing down of high-GWP refrigerants, with a view to cut cooling emissions by 68% by 2050.
The Guidelines for Integrating the Cooling Sector into Nationally Determined Contributions provides access to actionable methods and tools that help countries unlock the full potential of sustainable cooling, including:
• Implementing passive cooling strategies: measures like insulation, natural shading, building codes, and reflective surfaces can address extreme heat, and dramatically reduce cooling demand in buildings and in the cold chain.
• Developing National Cooling Action Plans (NCAPs): these comprehensive strategies enable governments to map out economy-wide cooling efforts, integrating measures across various sectors to reduce heat stress, while curbing energy demand.
• Enforcing Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS): alongside appliance labeling programs, these policies drive efficiency to cut emissions and energy costs.
• Aligning with financial tools: leveraging green bonds, results-based financing, and business models can attract investment to scale sustainable cooling technologies.
• Enhancing Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV): robust MRV systems ensure accountability, build trust, and demonstrate leadership, aligning with the Paris Agreement’s Enhanced Transparency Framework.
Importantly, the guidelines support countries in establishing governance structures that foster cross-ministerial collaboration. It ensures that sustainable cooling measures are integrated into NDCs or national climate plans, enabling coordinated actions across sectors, such as energy, urban planning, agriculture, and health. By incorporating these strategies, nations can achieve tangible progress, while fostering resilience and equity.
A Call to Action
The Global Cooling Pledge, launched at COP28, has mobilized more than 70 countries to make bold sustainable cooling commitments, including the inclusion of relevant cooling efforts in NDCs. By embracing the Guideline, nations can transform these pledges into impactful actions, showcasing sustainable cooling as a symbol of leadership, innovation, and equity.
Integrating cooling into NDCs 3.0 is not just about cutting emissions — it’s about protecting lives, building resilience, and driving sustainable development. Sustainable cooling aligns directly with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, advancing goals related to health, education, and economic growth.
As the 2025 deadline approaches, the stakes could not be higher. Cooling must move from the periphery to the forefront of climate strategies. With the Guidelines for Integrating the Cooling Sector into Nationally Determined Contributions, countries have a clear, actionable path to success.
Now is the time to act boldly. Together, we can harness cooling for a sustainable, equitable future.
A Scorched 2024 in Review: Record-setting heat extremes took a rising toll
From shuttered classrooms around the world to Saudi Arabia’s brutal death toll from heat during The Hajj, worsening temperature extremes in 2024 brought serious impacts, costs, and challenges for millions of people.
Experts Discuss Advancing Affordable, Energy-Efficient, and Locally Produced Ceiling Fans in India
As India moves to increase cooling access while reducing energy consumption, NRDC and partners hosted a workshop to support advancing affordable, domestically produced and high-efficiency ceiling fans.
Keeping it Cool at Climate Week NYC: A Step Forward for Extreme Heat Resilience
With 2023 declared the hottest year on record and 2024 poised to surpass it, the escalating threat of extreme heat demands urgent global action. Sustainable cooling has never been more critical, both as a means of building resilience against intensifying heat waves and as a way to curb emissions from the cooling sector, contributing to our warming climate. Whether making improvements to how we cool in more sustainable ways or unlocking ways to increase access to solutions for heat-vulnerable communities, the world must act on cooling now.
This urgency resonated throughout Climate Week NYC 2024, where the main message was “It’s Time” and a series of cooling-related events spotlighted diverse solutions. From deploying cool surfaces to combat urban heat islands to advancing financing strategies for sustainable cooling in developing nations, these sessions emphasized the importance of people-centered approaches that drive both climate mitigation and adaptation.
At the heart of these discussions was a shared understanding: advancing equitable, scalable cooling solutions is essential not only to protect vulnerable communities but also to foster a sustainable future for all. Here’s a glimpse into some of the most compelling cooling-related events that shaped the conversation.
Enlisting Sunlight in the Fight Against Climate Change
At the Climate Resolve event, a major focus was on using cool surfaces — like reflective roofs, walls, and pavements — to mitigate the urban heat island (UHI) effect and bring global climate benefits. The discussion also spotlighted Climate Resolve’s Shine On Initiative, which is supported by CCC. In the first of the session’s two panels, researchers talked about the latest science on reflective material performance and impacts on climate, while the second panel focused on implementing these solutions, with best practices shared from the Cool Community Project in Pacoima, California.
Financing Cooling in Southeast Asia
A roundtable on cooling finance in Southeast Asia, hosted by Climate Resilience for All and CCC, brought together key financial institutions, including the World Bank, IFC, and other groups, creating enabling environments for more investment in clean cooling deployment. The discussion underscored the importance of blended finance and data-driven decision-making to drive investment in cooling solutions.
Sustainable Cooling in India
A panel on sustainable cooling in India, hosted by Sequoia Climate Foundation, explored pathways for scaling clean cooling deployment in India while minimizing climate impacts. Representatives from CLASP, NRDC India, SEWA (Self Employed Women’s Association), Spectrum Impact, and the U.S. State Department stressed the importance of promoting super-efficient appliances to avoid overwhelming the power grid, and closing the cooling access gap for marginalized, low-income communities.
Mobilizing Investment for Global Cooling Needs
A key highlight was the IFC and UNEP event on cooling financing, where the IFC launched its new report, Mobilizing Investment for the Developing World’s Sustainable Cooling Needs. The report outlines critical steps for scaling financing solutions that address the unique challenges of cooling in developing markets. Multilateral cooperation, bolstered regulation, and innovative financing models are essential to driving the wide-scale uptake of sustainable cooling technologies.
Addressing Lethal Humidity with Research and Innovation
As climate change intensifies, the health impacts of lethal humidity are becoming a growing concern. At Climate Week, the Minderoo Foundation announced 10 new research projects that would receive funding, including an initiative to develop a global early warning system for deadly humid heatwaves. They also launched the Lethal Humidity Global Council (LHCC). These efforts represent an important intersection of cooling and public health, especially as many regions experience more frequent and severe humidity-driven heat waves.
Seizing the Efficiency Opportunity
An event co-hosted by RMI and IEA emphasized the role of energy efficiency in the energy transition and the need to double efficiency progress by 2030. This is especially critical in the cooling sector, where the average unit sold globally operates at less than half the efficiency of the best-performing models available in certain markets. A shift in communications strategies was identified as crucial for amplifying the energy efficiency narrative and driving greater investment and action, prior to expanding existing energy systems or building new capacity.
The Next Step: Building Momentum for Global Cooling Action
The cooling-related events at Climate Week NYC 2024 showcased the wide range of solutions, from community-based projects to large-scale financial interventions, that are already making a difference. Whether through innovative technology, local partnerships, or global financing strategies, cooling is essential to building climate resilience for the future.
As the world faces an ever-warming planet, these events underscored that equitable access to cooling is not just a matter of comfort—it’s a matter of survival. By keeping a focus on innovation, collaboration, and people-centered solutions, we can continue to drive progress toward a cooler, more sustainable world.