By Eamonn Ryan Highlights from the UNEP Cool Coalition webinar.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
In the face of rising global temperatures and deepening food and health insecurity, sustainable cold chains are frontline
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Cold chains for a hot planet
solutions for both climate adaptation and equitable development. This message was at the heart of the UNEP Cool Coalition’ s global webinar –‘ Cold Chains for a Hot Planet: Cooling for Resilient Food and Health Systems’ – held as an official side event of the UN Food Systems Summit + 4 Stocktaking Moment on 30 July 2025.
Bringing together leading voices from the UN, WHO, FAO, private sector and civil society, the session offered a sweeping overview of how cold chains, traditionally seen as back-end logistics, are now central to addressing hunger, health disparities and emissions in vulnerable regions.
Angshuman Siddhanta, UNEP’ s Sustainable Cold Chain Expert, opened the discussion by reframing cold chains as critical infrastructure – not just for keeping goods cold, but for protecting livelihoods, stabilising food systems and cutting emissions.
Each year, over 12 % of food produced globally is lost due to insufficient refrigeration – equivalent to more than 526 million tonnes. This represents a devastating intersection of climate, economic and human loss. In India, UNEP-supported pilots like solar-powered cold storage facilities in Haryana and Bihar have shown what’ s possible: spoilage reduced by 60 %, emissions cut by 16 % and farmer incomes increased tenfold.
Siddhanta described how cold chains can act as a development multiplier when powered sustainably and integrated into broader systems.
COLD CHAINS IN HEALTH SYSTEMS FROM STORAGE TO SURVIVAL
WHO’ s Maricel Castro described cold chains as“ strategic lifelines” in public health. Vaccines, insulin and other temperaturesensitive medicines all depend on reliable cold storage. As climate disruptions grow more frequent, ensuring consistent vaccine delivery – even in off-grid areas – is a growing challenge.
Through the Gavi Cold Chain Equipment Optimisation Platform( CCEOP), over 40 000 WHO-approved solar refrigeration units have been deployed worldwide. In countries like Niger, solar direct-drive( SDD) fridges have expanded immunisation outreach, reduced diesel dependence and ensured health workers can focus on patients – not fuel logistics.
Importantly, Castro emphasised that these systems are equity tools – ensuring communities most at risk are not left behind due to geography or infrastructure gaps.
By Eamonn Ryan Highlights from the UNEP Cool Coalition webinar.
REDUCING FOOD LOSS THROUGH SMART COOLING
FAO’ s Ioannis Vaskalis highlighted the scale of preventable food waste linked to poor cold chain access – an issue particularly acute in regions already grappling with hunger and water scarcity. FAO is leading interventions in:
• East Africa, where solar-powered milk chillers improve hygiene and reduce dairy spoilage.
• Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia, where solar-powered cold rooms support farmers of tomatoes, onions and potatoes.
• Coastal communities, where solarpowered ice production is extending the shelf life of fish and boosting incomes.
These efforts show that clean cold chains are not just technical fixes – they are enablers of market access, rural employment and climate-resilient agriculture.
DIGITAL INNOVATION FOR SMARTER, FAIRER COOLING
Digital tools are accelerating the cold chain revolution. Roberta Bosurgi of the BASE Foundation presented the Your Virtual Cold Chain Assistant( Your VCCA) – a mobile app that provides real-time crop tracking, storage insights and market intelligence.
Paired with solar-powered cold rooms and a‘ Cooling-as-a-Service’ model, Your VCCA has already reduced post-harvest losses by up to 60 % and increased farmer revenues by 40 % in pilot countries like India, Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau and Iraq.
Bosurgi stressed the need to embed technology within local ecosystems, ensuring usability, training and ownership – especially for women and youth in agriculture.
THERMAL STORAGE AND CLEAN ENERGY INTEGRATION Vishnu Sasidharan of Pluss Advanced Technologies spoke on the role of phasechange materials( PCMs) in storing cold efficiently, especially where power is unreliable or off-grid.
These materials, embedded in cold rooms, maintain precise temperatures for hours without electricity. A PCM-equipped,
As climate disruptions grow more frequent, ensuring consistent vaccine delivery – even
in off-grid areas – is a growing challenge.
www. coldlinkafrica. co. za COLD LINK AFRICA • October 2025