Background

It is estimated that 614.8 million living in Asia lack of access to cooling for basic needs- with impacts for their health, nutrition, and livelihoods. With many countries experiencing higher temperatures due to climate change, access to cooling, access to energy, and gender equality are closely intertwined. For women, who already experience energy poverty, lack of energy access for cooling will pose risks to their health and productivity. The sector also has the potential to increase the number of green jobs for women at all levels- from women leading cooling businesses, engineers, and technicians. This session will present how heat stress is impacting women’s lives and the gender related factors in relation to access to cooling. Panelists will discuss the benefits of incorporating a gender analysis in developing cooling solutions designed to meet women’s specific needs. Interventions that can scale sustainable cooling while also closing the access gap for women are needed. Discussions will range from presenting data on why women need different cooling solutions, to presenting examples from organizations working with women in informal housing to retrofit their homes. The speakers will also present ideas where further data, research and innovation is needed to achieve sustainable cooling for all.