Protecting communities from extreme heat today. Helping cool the planet for generations to come.
Visualization
1880–2021
Global temperatures are rising at an unprecedented rate. As the planet warms, extreme heat is becoming more frequent and more intense, placing growing pressure on communities, ecosystems and infrastructure. While reducing emissions remains essential, practical solutions are also needed to help people adapt today.
Reducing emissions is essential, but it will not cool the planet fast enough to help those suffering now. Most climate solutions focus on reducing emissions or removing carbon. Both are important, but neither directly reduces heat today.
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Carbon emissions are measured in tonnes of CO₂. Reflective cooling is measured in watts per square metre. The two are difficult to compare directly. The Reflective–Emissive Carbon Offset (RECO) expresses the cooling effect of reflective and radiative surfaces in CO₂-equivalent terms, providing a common framework for comparing surface cooling with conventional climate mitigation.
Quantified relationship
Derived from global mean radiative forcing, this equivalence expresses the cooling delivered by a highly reflective surface in the same units already used for carbon accounting — without replacing the underlying physical measurements in W/m².
≈ 131.58 kg CO₂e
≈ 1,316 t CO₂e
From homes and schools to public spaces, our technologies are delivering measurable cooling where it matters most. Every project helps improve lives today while building the evidence for wider deployment.
We develop and test practical cooling technologies for a warming world. By combining science, engineering and real-world field deployment, we translate research into measurable systems that help communities adapt to extreme heat today while building resilience for the future.
Meet the team01 · Canopies
Lightweight, high-albedo canopies raised above ground bounce solar radiation back to the sky before it can heat the surface below.
Typical applications
02 · PDRC Paint
A specialised coating reflects over 95% of sunlight and emits mid-infrared heat straight through the atmospheric window into cold space — cooling below ambient, no energy required.
Typical applications
03 · Water
Floating high-albedo modules cover open water to reflect incoming solar radiation, keep reservoirs cool, and dramatically cut evaporative losses.
Typical applications
Reflective canopies · PDRC cooling paint · Water cooling systems
Our passive cooling technologies use two physical processes to keep surfaces cooler under the sun. By reflecting incoming sunlight and emitting thermal radiation, we help reduce temperatures in cities, protect water resources and support agriculture.
Dark surfaces absorb most of the sun's energy and release it as heat into the air around us.
Bright, engineered surfaces reflect sunlight and emit additional heat to the sky — cooling buildings and helping cool the wider climate over time.
High-albedo surfaces send solar radiation back before it becomes heat.
Cooler surfaces radiate and convect less heat into surrounding air.
Cooler surfaces mean less water vapour — the most abundant greenhouse gas.
PDRC materials emit thermal infrared through the atmospheric window.
People, food and water — the systems most exposed to a warming world, and where passive surface cooling can make the greatest difference.
Extreme heat is becoming one of the greatest risks to human health. Hotter buildings, neighbourhoods and public spaces place millions at increasing risk during heatwaves, particularly those without access to conventional cooling.
Explore Community CoolingOf the world's population is expected to live in urban areas by 2050.
As cities continue to grow, more people will be exposed to urban heat island effects and dangerous extreme heat.
Agriculture depends on stable temperatures and reliable water. As heatwaves become more frequent, crops experience greater heat stress, lower productivity and increasing pressure on food security.
Explore Food SecurityGlobal maize yields decline by an average of 7.5% for every 1 °C increase in global temperature.
Extreme heat is already reducing crop productivity worldwide and placing increasing pressure on food security. Crops such as maize, wheat, soybeans, coffee, cocoa and citrus are becoming increasingly vulnerable as heatwaves become more frequent and intense.
Freshwater resources are under growing pressure from rising temperatures and evaporation. Protecting reservoirs and water supplies will become increasingly important in a warming world.
Explore Water ConservationAround 70% of the world's freshwater is used for agriculture, making water conservation increasingly important as evaporation rises.
Higher temperatures increase evaporation from reservoirs, soils and waterways, reducing water availability during droughts.
Deployed roof by roof, block by block, in partnership with residents.
Modular components; removable and recyclable at end of life.
Passive surfaces — nothing released into the atmosphere.
People feel the temperature drop the same day the system is installed.
MEER works with local partners to develop, test and deploy practical cooling solutions in some of the world's hottest environments. Every project generates valuable scientific data while helping communities adapt to extreme heat.
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Our work is measured in more than temperature reductions. It is about helping people live, work and learn more safely in a warming world while building practical solutions for the future.
Discover more storiesWhether you are a donor, researcher, policymaker, or community partner, there are many ways to support practical solutions to extreme heat.
Fund cutting-edge research on extreme heat interventions, including next-generation passive cooling paints (PDRC).
Install cooling systems where they are needed most and train local teams to build and maintain them.
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MEER collaborates with universities, research institutes, NGOs, governments and international organisations to develop and deploy practical climate cooling solutions.
