Nature for Cooling Challenge

Cities are warming twice as fast as the global average, increasing risks to health, productivity and energy systems. The Nature for Cooling Challenge uses nature-based solutions to lower urban temperatures, reduce cooling demand and cut emissions through a GEF-supported programme working with governments and practitioners.

The Nature for Cooling Challenge is a three-year initiative, supported by the Global Environment Facility, which demonstrates how urban nature-based solutions can simultaneously:

• Reduce urban heat exposure

• Lower cooling energy demand

• Avoid associated carbon emissions

• Deliver co-benefits for biodiversity and wellbeing

The cooling benefits of urban forests, green roofs and façades, water bodies and high-quality landscape design are well documented. However, investment remains limited due to gaps in standardized methodologies, monitoring systems and financial incentives.

The Challenge addresses these gaps by:
 

• Establishing monitoring, reporting and verification frameworks for nature-based cooling

• Integrating nature-based cooling into national cooling plans, climate commitments and biodiversity strategies

• Building institutional and technical capacity

• Mobilizing finance for high-quality urban nature projects

The initiative is supported by USD 3 million from the Global Environment Facility Climate Change Mitigation window, complemented by co-financing.

Implementation takes place in:

• Brazil

• Cambodia

• Côte d’Ivoire

In each country, high-potential nature-based cooling interventions proposed by cities or developers receive grants and technical assistance to strengthen design quality, cooling performance and monitoring.

Activities span national and subnational levels, including:

• Policy alignment and guidance

• Financial incentive design

• Multi-stakeholder financial dialogues

• Landscape design workshops and technical guidelines

• Urban heat assessment tools

• Scenario-based modelling

• Pre-feasibility studies

• Monitoring and reporting support
   

Implementation is facilitated by the UNEP Cool Coalition and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL).