D8: Cooling to improve Lives and Livelihoods

More than 300 million in rural areas face health and productivity risks due to lack of, or insufficient access to cooling. Access to space cooling is becoming increasingly important to protect lives and livelihoods, reducing exposure to heat stress in homes, schools, clinics and workspace, and improving productivity of those who work or study under challenging heat conditions. Cooling also plays a critical role in health care, for transportation and preservation of vaccines, blood and other medical products, as well as for temperature control of laboratories, pharmacies, operation rooms etc. Latest developments and opportunities on technologies, business models, and financial innovations (which are making cooling increasingly viable and affordable in off-grid or weak grid settings) will be presented, along with key actions to foster an enabling environment for sustainable cooling.