The World Bank is taking steps to promote sustainable cooling and access to affordable cooling services in developing countries. The Sustainable Cooling Initiative brings stakeholders together around a new understanding of cooling. A Roadmap for Sustainable Cooling will help incentivize and coordinate multi-stakeholder action in a way that makes cooling an integral part of energy management, livable cities, safe food supply, healthy and productive work, among other benefits – in a world where access to cooling can become a right rather than a luxury in some locations.
A global Roadmap for Sustainable Cooling by 2050 would identify the potential pathways, policies and financing to achieve equitable and sustainable cooling in all relevant sectors, in particular in buildings, urban, industry, energy, agriculture, fisheries, health services and rural communities. The roadmap will look at:
(i) reducing the demand for cooling (building passive measures, urban planning and alternative cooling technologies);
(ii) improving energy efficiency of cooling equipment; and
(iii) promoting new business models and a system approach for cooling applications.
The international community currently has a unique opportunity to build on the success of the Montreal Protocol, accelerate technology development, and drive climate friendly cooling solutions through smart regulations, such as equipment efficiency standards, and new financing modalities to put cooling on a sustainable path by 2050.
The Bank has established the Efficient, Clean Cooling Program (ECCP) within the Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) work program for which funding is provided by the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program (K-CEP). The objective of Efficient, Clean Cooling Program is to support the design and inclusion of efficient clean cooling components in WBG country engagements, lending and investments. This new technical assistance program has a multi-sector focus, and targets operations in sector including Energy, Urban, Agriculture, Fisheries, Transport, and the World Bank Group’s private sector organization the International Finance Corporation (IFC).