Cooling is essential for health, food security, and economic development. Demand for cooling is rising rapidly, especially in emerging markets, but it also produces seven percent of global greenhouse gases and, if business as usual continues, energy used for cooling will triple by 2050. The good news is that sustainable cooling innovation offers one of the most cost-effective ways to fight climate change.

This session will highlight the latest developments in climate-smart cooling innovation and work by IFC’s award-winning TechEmerge Program to pilot, de-risk, and accelerate the adoption of sustainable cooling technologies in emerging markets. TechEmerge and its partners will discuss initial results and lessons learned from more than 70 field tests currently underway in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, conducted in collaboration with some of the world’s most promising cooling innovators and leading local companies.