The impact of global warming on humanity is multifaceted, a future of increasingly severe heatwaves will see a rise in the demand for cooling appliances. The need for food refrigeration and vaccine storage will reap both health, social and financial benefits.

The current challenges we face:

–             Off-track to meet the global aim of 1.5 ◦c

–             Cooling accounts for around 7% of GHG

–             Current food loss could feed 1 billion people

–             Vaccine loss could have saved 1.5 billion lives annually

–             Heat stress impacts labour productivity

–             Economic loss

Encompassing a variety of SGD’s, the CSC is building a roadmap for sustainable cooling and effective cold chain systems. The projects aim to be sustainable beyond funding, economically empower local communities and economies, reduce food waste, establishing cooling as a right not luxury, save lives through vaccine delivery and storage, reduce heat related deaths.

The CSC has identified the overlapping impacts of cooling and has bought together a wide range of stakeholders to tailor business models to regions significantly affected by the rising in heat levels.

Building connections between experts from institutions, governments, industry, humanitarians and local communities, the centre is developing highly dynamic and functional business models that will lead to projects that are adapted to the changing environments, to benefit the economy, health and living conditions. Communities are trained and upskilled to create cold chain systems that are future proofed, cost effective and beneficial to all stakeholders.

CSC projects take a whole system approach to the cold chain system. Developing new technology aims to be energy efficient, maximise resources, adapt to changes in environment and social behaviour and consider policy, regulations and financial structures.

Overarching aims:

• • Global collaboration
  • Identifying key locations through research, teaching and demonstrations
  • Reduce food loss through access to cooling and cold chain
  • Empower venerable communities and benefit economies
  • Inclusion of other cold-chain services such as vaccines

CSC research is focused on the post-harvest practices, storage and distribution of food and other cold chain goods such as vaccines. Technology and solutions aim to be renewable, develop skills, have financial incentives and can be commercialised and accessible.

Read more about our Projects

Paris agreement and Kigali amendment of the Montreal protocol.

COP21 Paris, put in place drastic policy to counter the effects of global warming. 196 global partnerships agreed to keep the world temperature at 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2050, which we off track to meet. 129 countries have agreed to reduce the effects of pollutants on the environment under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.

CSC is actively looking at creating sustainable, resilient, equitable cooling solutions across technology, behavioural changes, skills and capacity building, finance and business models, policy and regulations to bring social, environmental and economic gains for governments, industries, businesses, farms, heath systems, social impact movements, entrepreneurs.

Governance

Professor Toby Peters – Co-director of The Centre for Sustainable Cooling

Professor Toby Peters leads the Birmingham Energy Institute’s activity around the Cold Economy and Clean Cold Chains and is one of the main architects of a growing UK and International understanding and realisation of the need for greater research and activity on clean cooling and cold-chain. He is co-Director, Centre for Sustainable Cooling, Senior Advisor on Cooling/Cold-chain for Sustainable Energy for All and the World Bank Group as well as sitting on the Clean Cold Chain Task Force for the International Solar Alliance. He is also an expert advisor for the UNEP Cool Coalition, as well as sits on the Technical Advisory Panel for the Global Cooling Prize.