Report details progress of largest global initiative to make net-zero cooling accessible to all

SAN FRANCISCO – August 24, 2021 – The Clean Cooling Collaborative, the leading global philanthropic program to advance climate-friendly cooling solutions for all, today released its 2017-2021 impact report, Scaling up clean cooling for all. Formerly named the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program (K-CEP), the report covers accomplishments during its first four years of operations to support the phasedown of hydrofluorocarbons under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. Through the work of its partners and grantees, the Clean Cooling Collaborative expects to capture 4.2 gigatons of avoided CO₂ emissions by 2050 once the work is fully implemented, with 2.4 Gt CO₂ already secured, by 2050. In total, this represents $960 billion in cost savings over the same period. 

“The Kigali Amendment has the potential to avoid up to 0.4℃ of global warming by the end of the century, with the enhanced energy efficiency of cooling set to double the climate benefits,” said Noah Horowitz, director of the Clean Cooling Collaborative. “The Collaborative has created a solid foundation to build from as our grantees and partners continue to pave the way in making affordable, net-zero cooling a reality.”

Leading climate foundations established the Clean Cooling Collaborative in 2017 to complement the Montreal Protocol’s refrigerant phasedown. With an emphasis on developing countries, the initiative works with a vast network of organizations, institutions, companies, and governments to bring efficient, climate-friendly policy and technology solutions to the world. 

“As the planet heats up, access to clean cooling is becoming an increasingly urgent climate and development issue, especially for vulnerable and marginalized communities,” said Sonia Medina, executive director of climate at the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF). “In four short years, this initiative has made tremendous progress in advancing energy-efficient, climate-friendly cooling solutions and developing a framework to support the rapid scaling up of said solutions. We’re proud to support the Clean Cooling Collaborative, which exemplifies the power of collective action to create lasting impact and meaningful change.” 

The Clean Cooling Collaborative’s emissions reductions come from meeting a range of ambitious milestones over its first four years of operations, including but not limited to:

• Made direct investments to advance efficient, climate-friendly cooling in 57 countries.
• Mobilized the investment of over $600M in public and private finance for cooling to cost-effectively steer consumers and institutions toward more efficient, climate-friendly cooling products.
• Supported the proposal, adoption, or implementation of 21 cooling appliance policies around the world. 
• Developed a network of more than 54 partner organizations, 99 business partnerships, and more than 100 Cool Coalition partners to drive change in the cooling sector.
• Influenced the integration of cooling into comprehensive national climate policies; more than 55 countries have included cooling in their latest National Determined Contributions (NDCs).

For more on the Clean Cooling Collaborative’s impact over 2017-2021, read the report here.

About Clean Cooling Collaborative

Clean Cooling Collaborative is making climate-friendly cooling accessible to all. A philanthropic initiative of ClimateWorks Foundation launched in 2017 as the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program (K-CEP), the Clean Cooling Collaborative focuses on super-efficient refrigeration and space cooling equipment, climate-friendly refrigerants, passive cooling, and integrated solutions that cool people and the planet. 

About ClimateWorks Foundation

ClimateWorks Foundation is a global platform for philanthropy to innovate and accelerate climate solutions that scale. We deliver global programs and services that equip philanthropy with the knowledge, networks, and solutions to drive climate progress. Since 2008, ClimateWorks has granted over $1 billion to more than 500 grantees in over 40 countries.