C40 Cities, the global network of nearly 100 cities united to confront the climate crisis, has collaborated with Carrier to help cities adapt to dramatically changing global temperatures.
A three-year $US1.05 million grant from Carrier will support C40 to promote sustainable cooling solutions in buildings and neighbourhoods, helping support resident health and safety while staying within Paris-aligned 1.5°C climate goals.
August 2024 was the hottest month on Earth since global records began (Source: https://nasa.gov/earth/nasa-finds-summer-2024-hottest-to-date/), so creating equitable access to cooling to all city dwellers has never been more important.
Nearly one third of the world's population is currently exposed to life-threatening heat extremes for 20 days a year or more - exposing them to a wide range of health and socio-economic issues.
If not delivered in a sustainable, efficient and equitable way, an increase in cooling supply risks accelerating climate change and the urban heat island effect.
In this context, C40 will support cities around the globe to assess the impact of rising temperatures on areas such as residents' health, energy poverty and cooling-related energy demand. C40 will also utilize this funding to support cities in developing effective cooling strategies, roadmaps and policy solutions aligned with cities' Climate Action Plans and mitigation strategies.
This program is part of a wider number of heat related projects that C40 is implementing across cities to ensure that solutions for keeping residents safe from extreme heat are in line with the Paris Agreement goals, equally distributed and considering frontline communities.
C40 executive director, Mark Watts, said cities and urban areas face additional risks and effects from extreme heat, and often residents feel the impacts most acutely within their own homes.
“By tackling both building and resilience policies together, this project will demonstrate cities' climate leadership, providing cooling solutions in a sustainable, efficient and equitable way," he said.
Carrier senior vice president, Chief Technology & Sustainability Officer, Hakan Yilmaz, said that as global temperatures rise, public private partnerships are crucial.
“This program is another step in the right direction as Carrier continues innovating to deliver sustainable technologies that will help ensure everyone can thrive in a changing climate,” he said.