UN: 1.1 billion people face risks from lack of cooling
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — New data from 52 countries in hot climates reveals that over 1.1 billion people face “significant risks” from lack of access to cooling, including death, a UN envoy said on Monday.
Rachel Kyte told a press conference that “millions of people die every year from lack of cooling access, whether from food losses, damaged vaccines, or severe heat impact.”
The UN envoy, who is promoting the United Nations goal of providing sustainable energy for all people by 2030, said nine countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America with the biggest populations that face major risks are Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan and Sudan.
Kyte stressed that “’cooling for all’” doesn’t mean “putting an air conditioner in every home.”
She said an urgent effort is needed to clarify cooling needs, engage governments and the private sector, and develop and test possible new solutions.
Kyte spoke on the sidelines of this week’s high-level event assessing progress on six of the 17 UN goals adopted by world leaders in 2015 to combat poverty, promote development and preserve the environment by 2030. One of the goals is universal access to sustainable energy.
UN Deputy SecretaryGeneral Amina Mohammed told the opening session that there has been progress on reducing maternal and child mortality, tackling childhood marriage, expanding access to electricity, addressing global unemployment, and cutting the rate of forest loss around the globe.
But Mohammed said in other areas “we are either moving too slowly, or losing momentum.”