The Cooling Roadmap for London

The Cooling Roadmap for London, delivered by Love Design Studio and Shade the UK, makes five strategic insights clear:

1. The rise in cooling energy demand is a resilience risk. Without intervention, London faces rising energy demand and infrastructure pressure during extreme heat events.
2. Cooling inequity is a social justice issue. Vulnerable residents are disproportionately impacted by heat and least able to afford active cooling.
3. Delay increases lock-in risk. If buildings are retrofitted for winter performance only, or default to active cooling as a first response, cooling energy demand will escalate.
4. Passive-first and nature-based action reduces long-term active cooling costs. Buildings that absorb less heat require rightsized, more cost-effective, and highly efficient active cooling systems.
5. Cooling is cross-cutting. Solutions must be co-ordinated with retrofit policy, public health, biodiversity, energy planning, housing strategy and climate adaptation.

Commenting on the CRL, Mayor of London and Co-Chair of C40 Cities, Sadiq Khan said:

“Extreme heat due to climate change is a danger to us all, and the CRL prioritises three sectors where heat risk is most acute – social housing, social care and healthcare, testing this in London boroughs.”

“The climate crisis is not a business-as-usual situation; the urgency of extreme heat demands action now, and I am proud to say that London is positioned to become a global leader in sustainable, efficient and equitable cooling.”