5 Ways Sustainable Cooling Powers Clean Energy

While energy keeps the world running, clean energy safeguards the planet for future generations by reducing carbon emissions and environmental harm.
This International Clean Energy Day, take a moment to think about how sustainable cooling and clean energy work together to tackle global challenges—from preserving food to keeping people healthy and comfortable in an overheating world.

Here are five ways the UNEP Cool Coalition is highlighting this connection through innovative projects:

1. Cold Chain Revolution: Keeping Crops Fresh with Clean Energy

In India, the UNEP Cool Coalition, in partnership with the Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy, is implementing the India Cold Chain Programme (ICCP) in the states of Bihar and Haryana. The program introduces rural cold chain infrastructures like integrated packhouses powered by solar, biomass, and hybrid renewable energy solutions. These packhouses reduce food loss, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and enhance rural livelihoods, especially for women and youth. By the end of 2025, the ICCP and the Bureau of Energy Efficiency will launch National Design Guidelines for Energy-Efficient Packhouse Infrastructure, paving the way for sustainable cold chains across the country.

2. Passive Cooling: Designing Buildings That Beat the Heat Naturally

The joint project by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the UNEP Cool Coalition, titled “Passive Cooling Strategies for Sustainable Development in Cambodia,” showcases the power of natural cooling solutions. In Cambodia, where 45% of electricity is used for cooling, passive strategies like better building designs and materials cut energy use and emissions. The project equips local architects, engineers, and students with tools and knowledge while supporting policies like Cambodia’s National Cooling Action Plan. A pilot initiative is demonstrating how passive cooling can transform energy demand in a warming world.

3. Cooling Entire Neighborhoods, Not Just Buildings

In India, the UNEP Cool Coalition has helped establish a District Cooling Hub, a space connecting cooling experts with municipalities. The Hub focuses on developing policies, facilitating technology transfer, and building capacity to implement centralized cooling systems. By sharing cooling across entire neighborhoods, these systems save energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and support the shift to clean energy solutions, making urban cooling more sustainable.

4. Renewables in Action: Cooling Powered by the Sun and Wind

With support from the Global Cooling Pledge, the Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold-Chains is advancing renewable-powered cooling across the continent. By integrating solar, wind, and hybrid technologies, the Centre delivers sustainable cooling for agriculture and healthcare. These systems reduce food waste, preserve medicines in off-grid areas, and promote clean energy adoption in underserved regions, making a tangible difference in people’s lives.

5. Cooling for All: Sustainable Solutions for Underserved Communities

The UNEP Cool Coalition is working to make sustainable cooling accessible to the world’s most vulnerable populations. By promoting energy-efficient technologies and low-global-warming refrigerants, the coalition ensures underserved communities can withstand extreme heat, access life-saving medicines, and preserve food supplies. These solutions are critical for building resilience to climate change while advancing clean energy transitions.