Cooling is central to health, prosperity, and the environment. It can be provided actively (e.g. via air conditioning) or passively (e.g. through cool building design). Applications range from space cooling for buildings, vehicles, and industrial processes, to cold chains for food and medicines. Efficient, climate-friendly cooling for all underpins many Sustainable Development Goals and represents an opportunity to avoid substantial greenhouse gas emissions.

Ensuring we meet cooling needs affordably, efficiently, cleanly, and innovatively, including for the 1.1 billion people who lack access to basic energy services, is a big opportunity for businesses across stationary and mobile cooling, whole building and district-scale solutions, cooling appliances, and cold chains. Delivering efficient, climate-friendly cooling can unlock operational savings for customers, meet demand for sustainable solutions, improve brand competitiveness, and ensure compliance with government policies and regulation. It also enables a stronger energy system and cleaner air, and delivers more food, better health, and higher productivity for society.

This guide for businesses is one in a series that is also being disseminated to governments, investors, and civil society to help elevate cooling as an inclusive, impactful, and profitable opportunity for the UN Secretary General Summit in September 2019.