united nations india is among the nine most populous countries where people are at risk from lack of access to cooling as global warming continues to threaten health and climate according to a study of a unled initiativethe report also said that policy makers should immediately measure gaps in access to cooling in their respective countries as an evidence base for more proactive and integrated policymakingbesides businesses governments and finance actors should collaborate to assess and act on the enormous commercial and economic opportunities including productivity employment and growth gains from providing sustainable cooling solutions for all stated the report released by the sustainable energy for all seforall here yesterdaythe study chilling prospects providing sustainable cooling for all is the first ever report to quantify the growing risks and assess the opportunities of the global cooling challengethe report said there are over 11 billion people globally who face immediate risks from lack of access to coolingcooling underpins the ability of millions to escape poverty to keep our children healthy vaccines stable food nutritious and our economies productive access to cooling is now a fundamental issue of equity and as temperatures hit record levels this could also mean the difference between life or death for some it saidthe report is based on an analysis of 52 vulnerable countries in hot climates among the 11 billion people face cooling access risks are 470 million people in poor rural areas without access to safe food and medicines and 630 million people in hotter poor urban slums with little or no cooling to protect them against extreme heatwavesnine countries across asia africa and latin america which have the biggest population are facing significant cooling risks the study said the countries are india bangladesh brazil pakistan nigeria indonesia china mozambique and sudanin a world facing continuously rising temperatures access to cooling is not a luxury its essential for everyday life it guarantees safe cold supply chains for fresh produce safe storage of lifesaving vaccines and safe work and housing conditions said rachel kyte ceo and special representative to the un secretarygeneral for sustainable energy for allabout 23 billion people represent a different kind of cooling risk a growing middle class where limited purchasing options mean they may only be able to afford to buy less expensive and less efficient cooling devices which could spike global energy demand with profound climate impacts the study saidthe report also added that this challenge offers business and entrepreneurs the opportunity of major new consumer markets which want superefficient affordable technologies to meet their cooling needskyte said the report is a wakeup call and nations must meet these needs in an energy efficient way and without using ozone damaging substancesif not the risks to life health and the planet are significant but there are equally important business opportunities for those that face up to the challenge and act early she saidit is also estimated that cooling is now responsible for about 10 of global warming and growing rapidly