As temperatures rise, a billion people struggle to stay cool; India at risk

More than a billion people are at risk from a lack of air conditioning and refrigeration to keep them cool and to preserve food and medicines as global warming brings more high temperatures, a study showed on Monday.

More electricity demand for fridges, fans and other appliances will add to man-made climate change unless power generators shift from fossil fuels to cleaner energies, according to the report by the non-profit Sustainable Energy for All group.

About 1.1 billion people in Asia, Africa and Latin America --- 470 million in rural areas and 630 million slum dwellers in cities --- were at risk among the world's 7.6 billion people, it said.

"Cooling becomes more and more important" with climate change, Rachel Kyte, head of the group and special representative for the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All, told Reuters.

In a survey of 52 countries, those most at risk included India, China, Mozambique, Sudan, Nigeria, Brazil, Pakistan, Indonesia and Bangladesh, it said.