Beat the Heat

Ashden is a UK-based climate solutions charity with a mission to accelerate transformative climate innovations and build a more just world. Ashden helps tell the stories of climate and energy pioneers in the UK, Africa, Middle East, Asia and South America through its annual Ashden Awards plus other programmes. Read more to know about partners at Ashden which work on cooling systems for buildings that are low carbon/low energy.

Time for Low-Cost Cooling Solutions

As scorching temperatures sweep across the world, communities are finding themselves in the grip of an unprecedented heatwave, shattering records and triggering widespread concerns about public health, environmental impacts, and strain on essential services. The costs of a rapidly changing climate, particularly rising temperatures, fall hardest on poor and marginalized people. The heat challenges they face include dangerously hot buildings and those with less money generally face higher indoor temperatures.

Traditional air conditioning using fossil fuels cannot be the go-to in a decarbonizing world, but for those on low incomes, they do not have an option anyway. And without access to cooling measures heat stress increases the risk of death, and physical and mental illness.

The climate solutions charity, Ashden, has coordinated a Fair Cooling coalition of organizations dedicated to passive cooling solutions. They also highlight organizations working on low-carbon solutions in the global South through their annual Ashden Awards, which showcase clean energy and low-carbon solutions. Collaborators with Ashden from Egypt and India provide examples of how to keep buildings cool using highly effective, affordable, ‘passive design’ methods such as shading, ventilation, heat-reflecting materials, and incorporating cooling water systems and planting.

Cooling Innovation in Egypt and India