SINGAPORE \u2013 The search for innovative cooling solutions<\/span><\/a> is hotting up, as countries grapple with rising temperatures caused by climate change and the ongoing El Nino weather phenomenon.<\/p>\n While people tend to turn to air-conditioners for reprieve, the UN had in a recent meeting in Singapore<\/span><\/a> urged representatives from around 60 countries to look to alternative and greener cooling strategies instead.<\/p>\n This is because conventional air-conditioning is energy-guzzling and relies on refrigerants, some of which are powerful greenhouse gases.<\/p>\n In an interview with The Straits Times held on the sidelines of the meeting, the United Nations Environment Programme\u2019s climate change division director Martin Krause said the scarcity of funding<\/span><\/a> is the biggest challenge to scale up more innovative measures.<\/p>\n According to a 2024 report by UNEP and the International Finance Corporation, the\u00a0market for cooling solutions in developing economies is expected to grow from around US$300 billion (S$383 billion) to at least US$600 billion, per year by 2050.<\/p>\n The Straits Times highlights some cooling gadgets already available on the market.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mr Colin Chia, co-founder of Ecoline Solar, with the solar thermal air-conditioning system manufactured by his firm.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n A made-in-Singapore air-conditioner that uses up to 55 per cent less energy than conventional ones.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Conventional air-conditioners warm the refrigerant \u2013 a fluid that absorbs indoor heat and releases it outside \u2013 by using electricity.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The Ecoline system captures solar heat and heat from the surrounding air to warm up the refrigerant partially, saving energy.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n NNIO\u2019s 2-in-1 DC Motor Fan and Air Cooler.<\/p>\n PHOTO: NNIO<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n A portable air cooler is suitable for homes or spaces that cannot be fitted with air-conditioners.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Surrounding warm air is drawn into the unit. The air passes through a water-soaked cooling pad\u00a0and the cooler air is then blown out of the unit through a fan.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Air coolers serve as targeted cooling devices that make a specific person feel more comfortable, instead of cooling an entire room.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n Freeze Tech\u2019s cooling inner wear for workers who work outdoors.<\/p>\n PHOTO: FREEZE TECH<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Freeze Tech <\/b>is a Japanese cooling apparel brand that <\/b>coats its fabric with a type of sugar alcohol. <\/b>When activated by perspiration or moisture, it triggers a reaction that draws heat away from the body.\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<\/li>\n The fabric is said to be able to cool a person down by up to 9 deg C, and can last more than 50 wash cycles.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n At least one construction company in Singapore is trialling Freeze Tech\u2019s inner wear with its workers who work outdoors.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n A waist clip-on fan.<\/p>\n PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM GOOJODOQ\u2019S WEBSITE<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n These gadgets resemble portable chargers. They <\/b>can be clipped onto the waistband, and they blow air to keep the torso cool and dry perspiration on the back.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n Work gear with fans embedded are a common sight in Japan.<\/p>\n PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM KUCHOFUKU\u2019S WEBSITE<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Worker trousers fitted with fans.<\/p>\n PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM KUCHOFUKU\u2019S WEBSITE<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Circular fans attached to work uniforms are a common sight on Japanese workers who work outdoors.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The fan-jakketo \u2013 as the device is called \u2013 was introduced in Japan in the early 2000s, keeping workers breezy during punishing heatwaves.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n A visitor wearing a portable neck fan and carrying his dog at Singapore Botanic Gardens.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Resting around the neck, this horseshoe-shaped device draws in air and pushes it through vents towards your neck and face, creating a cooling breeze.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n Origin Mattress\u2019 Origin Superior Coolmax Latex Pillow.<\/p>\n PHOTO: ORIGIN MATTESS<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n As nights get warmer, bedding items may need to be enhanced to improve sleep quality.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n A cooling pillow typically has a cooling gel to draw heat away from the user, and tiny air pockets to allow constant airflow.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n SINGAPORE \u2013 The search for innovative cooling solutions is hotting up, as countries grapple with rising temperatures caused by climate change and the ongoing El…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":88327,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-88326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=88326"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88326\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/88327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=88326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=88326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=88326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Ecoline Solar air-conditioner<\/h2>\n
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Air cooler<\/h2>\n
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Freeze Tech cooling wear\u00a0<\/h2>\n
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Clip-on fan<\/h2>\n
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Fan jacket<\/h2>\n
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Neck fan<\/h2>\n
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Cooling pillow<\/h2>\n
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