Cooling will be the single largest driver of rising electricity demand between now and 2050. As the planet experiences record temperatures and increasingly frequent heatwaves, cooling is no longer a luxury — it is a lifeline essential for survival, health, productivity, and economic resilience.
Rising temperatures, population growth, urbanization, and development trends are triggering an unprecedented surge in global cooling demand. Today, an estimated 1.2 billion people are at high risk of serious health, productivity, and nutrition-related impacts due to inadequate access to cooling. However, the challenge is twofold: while cooling protects people, conventional cooling systems can intensify climate change through high energy use and super-polluting refrigerants.