Chilling Prospects: Tracking Sustainable Cooling for All 2021

Global access to cooling in 2021 
Compared to 2020, the analysis shows an increase of approximately 50 million people who are at high risk of a lack of access to cooling. More

• Populations at risk Across 54 high-impact countries, 1.09 billion people among the rural and urban poor are at high risk due to a lack of access to cooling. More
• Regional trends Cooling access gaps for the rural and urban poor at highest risk grew in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean compared to the previous year. More

Sub-national cooling risks
Chilling Prospects 2021 uses geo-spatial and sub-national data to better identify regions within countries that have risks due to lack of access to cooling. It uses data on the location of where people live, their exposure to high temperatures, as well as economic and energy access trends. More

• Populations at risk in countries not considered high-impact The analysis identified 22 additional countries where cooling access risks are likely to exist for smaller pockets of the population. More

Impact of COVID-19 on access to cooling

While it is evident that the pace of vaccination is uneven and inequities are likely to be exacerbated in the coming months, support for sustainable cold chains represents an opportunity to address immediate equity considerations and deliver a lasting impact in support of the economic and social recovery from the pandemic. More 

• Challenges in vaccine rollout linked to cooling A dramatic expansion in cold chain equipment will be necessary to guarantee equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. More
• Addressing vaccine cold chain access gaps at the last mile Those living at the last mile in countries without sufficient vaccine cold chains that will be at risk of not being able to access a COVID-19 vaccine specifically due to cooling requirements. More

Sustainable cooling solutions in action
As sustainable cooling solutions are piloted and demonstrated across the developing world, more data about their impacts on the local level are becoming available. More

• Latin America: Passive technology and business model innovation creating a healthier, more productive city in Medellín
• Rwanda: The growing market potential of solar cold storage for horticulture products
• Sub-Saharan Africa: Youth-led solutions for vaccine and agricultural cold chain challenges
• Bangladesh and Indonesia: The power of passive solutions