From the Campfire to the Stove: How Cooking Methods Impact Climate Change and Human Health

According to estimates from the International Energy Agency (IEA), around 2.3 billion people worldwide (approximately one-third of the global population) cook using open fires or inefficient traditional stoves that burn kerosene, biomass, and coal. This practice leads to air pollution. Each year, 3.7 million people die prematurely from diseases linked to household air pollution caused by the incomplete combustion of solid fuels and kerosene used for cooking. Particulate matter and other pollutants in the air cause inflammation of the airways and lungs, impair immune response, and reduce the blood's oxygen-carrying capacity. Women and girls involved in cooking are especially vulnerable to these adverse effects. In Africa alone, women and children account for 60% of premature deaths related to smoke inhalation and indoor air pollution.

The solution to this problem lies in the use of cooking stoves powered by environmentally friendly energy sources such as biogas, ethanol, electricity, and others. The widespread use of these stoves could lead to reduced emissions of greenhouse and toxic gases, prevention of deforestation (particularly of fruit-bearing trees), increased biodiversity, job creation, and the empowerment of women and children. However, major obstacles to the adoption of eco-friendly stoves include the lack of large-scale incentives for their purchase and limited access to affordable, reliable, and ideally renewable energy sources.

Globally, the number of people unable to cook cleanly decreased from 3 billion in 2010 to 2.3 billion in 2022. China, India, and Indonesia have halved their populations lacking access to clean cooking, primarily through the provision of free stoves and subsidized liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders. During the same period, the number of people without access to clean cooking continued to rise in Sub-Saharan Africa, where clean cooking campaigns have not kept pace with population growth. Today, 1 billion people on this continent—about four out of every five—still use highly polluting fuels for cooking on open fires or simple stoves.

In May 2024, the IEA organized the "Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa," the largest meeting in history dedicated solely to clean energy cooking methods. Representatives from 55 countries attended, including four heads of government and 23 ministers. As a result of the summit, $22 billion was allocated to Sub-Saharan African countries, although it was concluded that an annual investment of $4 billion is needed to ensure universal access to clean cooking in this region.

Thus, implementing climate projects to transition cooking stoves to eco-friendly energy sources holds significant potential in Sub-Saharan Africa for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and positively impacting biodiversity and local communities. These high-quality climate projects can generate carbon credits, which can be used to decarbonize various activities and achieve carbon neutrality as part of the global fight against climate change.