Ramboll Joins UNEP’s Beat the Heat program to address urban heating challenges

BELEM, BRAZIL, November 12, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Ramboll, the global architecture, engineering, and consultancy company, joins the UNEP-led Beat the Heat program at COP30, the UN Climate Change Conference, aiming to address the challenges of extreme heat through sustainable cooling solutions.

Beat the Heat is a joint initiative of the COP30 Presidency and the United Nations Environment Programme’s Cool Coalition. The initiative operationalises the Global Cooling Pledge, the world’s first collective commitment to reduce cooling-related emissions by 68% and expand access to sustainable cooling by 2050, through local delivery.

As part of Beat the Heat, Ramboll has launched a new digital tool to enable cities to simultaneously calculate and address the impacts of flooding and urban heating through nature-based solutions, as well as the effects of the mitigation actions proposed. The tool can be used to analyse both data rich urban areas in cities in Europe and North America, as well as in emerging economies where data about urban areas is sometimes scarce.

“Our objective is to help cities make a convincing business case for climate adaptation,” explains Christian Nyerup Nielsen, global division director for climate resilience, at Ramboll. “When you show a clear vision for climate adaptation at urban scale, combined with a strong business case, you have a greater chance of attracting investment into nature-based solutions.”

The tool is funded by a grant of DKK 1.18 million by the Ramboll Foundation, the owner of Ramboll. The Ramboll Foundation has previously funded the research behind the tool with DKK 1.7 million in 2022.

"Helping convene partners such as the UN, C40 Cities, and Ramboll to increase our collective impact is immensely meaningful. This project is a great example of collaboration across research, business, NGOs, cities, and international organisations that will help scale sustainable climate adaptation,” says Asbjørn Kristensen Høgsbo, Head of Philanthropy at the Ramboll Foundation. “The Ramboll Foundation is pleased to engage and support with real positive change on people, nature, and society."

“Beat the Heat brings cooling solutions to where they’re needed most—protecting lives, livelihoods, and the livability of cities as temperatures rise. Through practical steps like heat assessments, passive cooling, and sustainable procurement, cities are taking action—and together with partners we’re helping them make it happen. Our approach uniquely links sustainable cooling with heat adaptation, backed by strong multilevel governance and the Global Cooling Pledge. We aim to work closely with national governments and cities to enable replication—just as we are doing in India, where a $1.5 billion disaster fund is being redesigned to support passive cooling and cold chains,” says Lily Riahi, Head, Cool Coalition Secretariat, UNEP.

Ramboll, C40 Cities, and UNEP will partner to roll out the tool, levering their institutional knowledge, and networks with large number of cities worldwide that are facing climate impacts.

In 2024, Ramboll partnered with UNEP, UNICEF and ILO in the Green Jobs for Youth Pact, committing to upskill 1,000 young people globally by 2025, partnering to share knowledge on sustainable engineering and design solutions, decarbonisation, and nature-based solutions.

In 2025, the Ramboll Foundation and C40 Cities entered into a strategic partnership to shape resilient cities, driving efforts to embed resilience and climate adaptation measures into long-term planning, governance, and policy frameworks.

Nature-based solutions are climate adaptation solutions inspired and supported by nature, which are cost-effective, provide environmental, social, and economic benefits, and help build resilience.

For media inquiries or questions contact: Devapriyo Das, Head of Global Editorial Content at press@ramboll.dk or +4551612149.

About Ramboll
Ramboll is a global architecture, engineering and consultancy company founded in Denmark in 1945. Ramboll’s more than 18,000 employees create sustainable solutions across Buildings, Transport, Architecture & Landscape, Water, Environment & Health, Energy and Management Consulting. Across the world, Ramboll combines local experience with a global knowledge base to create sustainable cities and societies. We combine insights with the power to drive positive change to our clients, in the form of ideas that can be realised and implemented. We call it: Bright ideas. Sustainable change. Read more at ramboll.com

Devapriyo Das
Ramboll
+45 51 61 21 49
press@ramboll.dk

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