Ideas worth spreading

Sustainable cooling that doesn't warm the planet

1,697,530 views |

Rachel Kyte |

Countdown Summit

• October 2021

"The way we cool things down is heating the planet even more," says sustainable development expert Rachel Kyte -- and the solutions go well beyond just fixing air-conditioning. She identifies four major areas with transformative solutions -- from roofs painted with bright white paint to solar control glass to more efficient cold chains for vaccines -- that can be implemented in fair and sustainable ways. Learn more about what a community designed for cool could look like.

"The way we cool things down is heating the planet even more," says sustainable development expert Rachel Kyte -- and the solutions go well beyond just fixing air-conditioning. She identifies four major areas with transformative solutions -- from roofs painted with bright white paint to solar control glass to more efficient cold chains for vaccines -- that can be implemented in fair and sustainable ways. Learn more about what a community designed for cool could look like.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

About the speaker

Rachel Kyte

Sustainable development diplomat, educator, activist

See speaker profile

Rachel Kyte works to mobilize finance and spur action along a critical path towards a resilient, inclusive and decarbonized world.

Rachel Kyte | The Boston Globe, 2021 | Article

"Air conditioning is adding to the climate crisis. But it doesn’t need to be"

Rachel Kyte | The Conversation, 2021 | Article

"COP26 left the world with a climate to-do list: Here are 5 things to watch for in 2022"

Rachel Kyte | The Times of Malta, 2022 | Article

"Climate to-do list in 2022 – Rachel Kyte"

Sustainable Energy for All, 2021 | Explore

"Chilling Prospects: Tracking Sustainable Cooling for All 2021"

This is the fourth edition of the ground-breaking Chilling Prospects series, which tracks immediate vulnerability due to a lack of access to cooling. The work identifies populations at risk for whom a lack of access to cooling threatens their immediate health and safety. It models risk based on a spectrum of cooling needs: human comfort and safety; agriculture, food and nutrition security; and health services and medicine. On this basis, it categorizes risk across four populations: the rural poor, the urban poor, the lower-middle income and the middle income.

Thibaut Abergel and Chiara Delmastro | International Energy Agency, 2020 | Explore

"Is cooling the future of heating?"

The rapid advancement and innovation in heat pumping technologies holds the promise of providing cost-effective, energy-efficient heating and cooling services to meet the challenges of decarbonization in the building sector.

International Energy Agency, 2018 | Explore

"The Future of Cooling"

This report, published in 2018, highlights the threats associated with rising, unchecked growing global demand for space cooling. It provides key insights into current and future trends in cooling, and it proposes policy responses to achieve a more sustainable pathway.

Learn more

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.