Like access to electricity or clean cooking, access to sustainable cooling is an energy service that is essential for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) in areas that experience high temperatures. Over 1 billion people in 54 high-impact countries remain at high risk from a lack of access to cooling services that support health and livelihoods and a further 2.2 billion are at risk to have inefficient cooling. By providing protection from a heatwave, refrigeration for nutritious food, or a cold chain for a COVID-19 vaccine, access to cooling is an issue of equity that can support the delivery of the entire SDG 2030 agenda.
This knowledge brief is the first such analysis of the gender-based impacts of a lack of access to cooling. It examines the gender-related challenges that should be considered, analysed and addressed to ensure cooling interventions and finance acknowledge gender-differentiated impacts and adapt to maximize equitable access. This brief offers a series of recommended steps to address these challenges while pursuing universal sustainable cooling and gender equality, including:
- Evidence: to better understand gender differences and impacts.
- Policies: supporting workplace safety, community heat planning and personal comfort.
- Investment: to finance gender-transformative solutions.
- Communications: supporting attention and awareness raising.
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