New report shows one billion people exposed to deadly heat without cooling solutions

The report shows that just over 1 billion people remain at high risk of a lack of access to crucial cooling solutions. This includes over 309 million people among the rural poor and 695 million people among the urban poor. A further 2.83 billion people are at medium-risk of a lack of access to cooling.

The report also warns that without urgent action, the number of people left without life-saving cooling will only continue to rise. By 2030, 1.05 billion people are forecast to remain at high risk due to a lack of access to cooling, approximately 50 million more than in 2024. A combination of potentially persistent energy access gaps in developing countries, exacerbated economic inequality and the threat of increased and sustained heat stress, are the main drivers outlined in this report.

“Cooling underpins the ability of millions to escape poverty, to keep classrooms cool for children, vaccines stable, food nutritious, and economies productive. Access to cooling is a fundamental issue of equity, and as temperatures hit record levels, this could also mean the difference between life or death.” said Brian Dean, Director of Energy Transition at Sustainable Energy for All. “Progress depends heavily on a conducive enabling environment for sustainable cooling as well as unlocking a diverse set of financial resources to meet growing needs. We must find innovative ways of investing in  sustainable cooling by developing new financing mechanisms and business models that can attract more capital for sustainable cooling solutions.”

The report points out that closing the access gap sustainably requires a comprehensive and systemic shift to sustainable cooling. This includes reducing heat exposure and cooling demand through passive design in buildings and cold chains; improving equipment efficiency standards; increasing affordability of solutions through technology and policy innovations; and accelerating the phase-down of climate-warming refrigerants.

The Chilling Prospects analysis leverages best available data to map cooling access gaps faced by populations in the Global South. The report covers 77 countries, including 54 high-impact countries where risks exist on a national scale, and 23 countries with high-temperature regions where risks are analyzed at a subnational level. The analysis will be accompanied by additional releases of data stories through to COP 30. 

Notes to Editors

Media Contacts

Sherry Kennedy, Director of Communications: Sherry.Kennedy@SEforALL.org / Media@SEforALL.org | +43 676 486 2425

About SEforALL

Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) is an international organization, hosted by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) that works in partnership with the United Nations and leaders in government, the public and private sector to drive faster action towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) – access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030 – in line with the Paris Agreement on climate. We work to ensure a clean energy transition that leaves no one behind and brings new opportunities for everyone to fulfill their potential. Learn more at www.SEforALL.org.

About the Chilling Prospects Report

Since 2018, Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) has produced the Chilling Prospects report drawing attention to the direct intersection between three internationally agreed goals: the Paris Climate Agreement; the Sustainable Development Goals; and the Montreal Protocol’s Kigali Amendment. This was the first detailed analysis to define and quantify the magnitude of the global cooling access challenge and remains an authoritative source of information for sustained action to address the critical development issue of sustainable cooling. Learn more athttps://www.seforall.org/our-work/research-analysis/chilling-prospects-series