Clean Cooking Dialogue at COP-29
The African Union (AU) and the United Republic of Tanzania will join forces in a high-level side event aimed at making clean cooking a central part of the global climate agenda.
African policymakers and international partners meeting at this year’s UN Climate Change Conference, COP29 on Tuesday highlighted the urgent crisis posed by lack of access to clean cooking, a challenge impacting 1.2 billion people across Africa and leading to millions of premature deaths annually.
"It is unacceptable that women are still dying because they lack access to clean cooking solutions,” said Vice President of Tanzania, Philip Mpango, speaking on behalf of President Samia Suluhu Hassan at a COP29 side event on Clean Cooking Challenges in Africa. The session underscored the need for innovative solutions and collaborative efforts to deliver safe and sustainable cooking options. Over 83 percent of people in Sub-Saharan Africa rely on traditional biomass fuels, leading to severe health, environmental, and economic repercussions. Reliance on polluting fuels costs approximately $791.4 billion annually, with health-related impacts accounting for $526.3 billion.
The event featured insights from Rashid Abdallah, head of the African Energy Commission (AFREC), who presented findings from the new report on "Sustainable Scaling: Meeting the Clean Cooking Challenge in Africa." He pointed out that approximately one billion of the 2.3 billion people globally without access to clean cooking are in Africa, with the continent losing about 3.9 million hectares of forest annually due to unsustainable cooking practices.
Improving access to clean cooking is a multifaceted issue that necessitates a comprehensive strategy. Cooking is inextricably related to deeply ingrained cultural and social habits that are difficult to alter. However, integrated solutions that collaborate with the private sector while prioritizing people’s wants and preferences are already yielding encouraging outcomes.
President of African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina, said that Africa requires $4 billion a year in investment to provide clean cooking equipment to 250 million women by 2030. Clean cooking refers to any fuel and stove combination that adheres to the World Health Organization’s recommendations for indoor air quality. This typically includes stoves driven by electricity, biogas, ethanol, or liquid petroleum gas, which are cleaner and more efficient than their solid fuel counterparts. It can also include stoves that burn high-efficiency charcoal and biomass pellets, which emit less smoke than regular biomass stoves.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines clean fuels and technologies as those that comply with the recommended levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions established in its global air quality standards (2021) and home fuel combustion guidelines (2014). A fuel or technology is considered clean if it meets particular air quality guidelines (AQG) or Interim Target-1 (IT-1) values of PM2.5 and CO. WHO uses this categorization to monitor progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 7, which promotes access to modern, sustainable energy.
The 34 percent of woodfuel harvesting is unsustainable, in some areas, collecting firewood for cooking is a major cause of deforestation and environmental degradation. Traditional stoves are inefficient, consuming more wood and charcoal than required, resulting in extra greenhouse gas emissions. Woodfuels account for around two percent of world emissions, with home fuel combustion accounting for more than half of all man-made black carbon emissions. Efficient stoves can reduce fuel consumption by 30–60 percent, lowering emissions and saving trees.
The Covid-19 pandemic and the global energy crisis have seen the world backslide on clean cooking progress, with 100 million households reverting to traditional cooking practices due to issues over affordability and security of supply. What is necessary is not only diversification away from a single energy commodity, but also a transformation of the energy system itself, all while preserving affordable, secure energy services. In keeping with African clean cooking targets such as the Nairobi Declaration and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (especially SDG7 on universal clean cooking access), we push for clean cooking to be a national, regional, and international policy priority.
Ambitions must be supported by rules and technological standards that maximize environmental advantages and promote clean cooking methods. Open flames or inefficient stoves Research shows that approximately 2.3 billion people worldwide (almost one-third of the global population) cook over open flames or inefficient stoves powered by kerosene, biomass (wood, animal dung, and crop waste), and coal, resulting in hazardous home air pollution.
The exposure to dangerous pollutants such as carbon monoxide and fine particulate matter poses serious health hazards, including burns, respiratory disorders, heart issues, and even premature death. Women and children, who spend the most time around cooking areas, are disproportionately affected, with greater rates of disease and death. More so in developing countries and at grassroots and vulnerable communities. According to the World Health Organization, household air pollution kills around 3.2 million people each year, creating a severe public health catastrophe in vulnerable populations. Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, and Southern Asia dominate the global access deficit.
In 2022, it is estimated that 79 percent of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa and 33 percent of people living in Central Asia and Southern Asia continue to rely on polluting fuels and cooking technologies. In 18 African countries, including Burundi, Mali, South Sudan, Niger, and Uganda, more than 95 percent of the population relies on solid fuels for cooking. Clean cooking is advocated not just to reduce the diseases associated with home air pollution, but also to prevent burns, which pose a considerable risk, particularly to children, in households that utilize open flames and inefficient cooking methods.
Burn injuries continue to be one of the most common and preventable injuries in children worldwide. Childhood burns can have severe physical, psychological, and economic implications. Cooking-related burns, which account for up to 85 percent of childhood scalds, provide a higher risk of harm and long-term morbidity compared to other types of burns. Home air pollution was projected to kill 3.2 million people per year by 2020, including more than 237,000 fatalities among children under the age of five. When combined with ambient air pollution, these contaminants result in 6.7 million premature deaths per year.
Furthermore, the time spent using and preparing fuel for inefficient, polluting equipment takes away other opportunities for health and development, such as studying, leisure time, and productive jobs. Women and children face the greatest health risks from polluting fuels and technologies because they cook and collect firewood, exposing them to harmful fumes. This fuel gathering also creates musculoskeletal problems, consumes a significant amount of time, and limits opportunities for education and other productive activities. They are more susceptible to injury in risky environments. Prioritise clean cooking Local Climate Change activist, Boitumelo Marumo said it is time for all stakeholders in Africa to prioritize clean cooking, as the current reliance on polluting and hazardous cooking methods is resulting in silent fatalities.
“Addressing this issue is crucial for safeguarding the health of millions of people, especially women and children, as well as conserving the environment and facilitating the global energy transition. Strong relationships, effective methods, supporting policies, and high standards will be critical to the initiative’s success. If we do this correctly and we must, it will immediately benefit 2.1 people worldwide,” she said. She further added that one solution is to teach people in clean cooking technology and processes to address the environmental and health effects of traditional cooking methods.
This she said could include educating individuals on sustainable development, creative thinking, financial literacy, and climate science. “Hands-on sessions and group activities could teach participants about energy-efficient stoves and alternative fuels, with the purpose of reducing carbon emissions, improving public health, and promoting sustainability. The lesson may also address key climate science principles, with an emphasis on the impact of traditional cooking methods on climate change.
The energy industry should focus on increasing electrification initiatives to improve energy infrastructure and distribution, as well as providing greater access to energy-efficient cooking alternatives. This will improve the reliability of electricity availability across countries, as well as boost access to electricity and energy-efficient cooking options for even the most remote people,” said Marumo. Currently, Uganda’s government prioritises electric cooking as part of its national electrification strategy, with a goal of 50 percent implementation by 2030. Uganda has spent the last 30 years investing in electricity as a top priority in its national budget, resulting in an apparent surplus supply.
Marumo said as a result, the government is devising strategies to generate demand for this surplus, and electric cooking presents an excellent chance, something other African countries could consider. This December, Grandhedge International at Ghana and Climate Hub Tanzania, in collaboration with climate activist from Botswana, Boitumelo Marumo, Granny Lesiamang founder and CEO of Clauseph Biofuels, a youth-led and impact-driven startup increasing access to clean cooking by manufacturing clean biomass fuel and low-cost, energy-efficient cookstoves, are hosting the Second Edition of the International Clean Cooking Ambassadors Training (ICCAT). ICCAT aims at equipping participants from Africa and beyond, with essential knowledge and skills relevant to clean cooking technologies and solutions.
This three-day program will cover a range of topics, fostering a holistic understanding of sustainable development, climate science, and practical approaches to clean cooking. Participants will engage in hands-on sessions, interactive group work, and presentations to enhance their learning experience.
African policymakers and international partners meeting at this year’s UN Climate Change Conference, COP29 on Tuesday highlighted the urgent crisis posed by lack of access to clean cooking, a challenge impacting 1.2 billion people across Africa and leading to millions of premature deaths annually.
"It is unacceptable that women are still dying because they lack access to clean cooking solutions,” said Vice President of Tanzania, Philip Mpango, speaking on behalf of President Samia Suluhu Hassan at a COP29 side event on Clean Cooking Challenges in Africa. The session underscored the need for innovative solutions and collaborative efforts to deliver safe and sustainable cooking options. Over 83 percent of people in Sub-Saharan Africa rely on traditional biomass fuels, leading to severe health, environmental, and economic repercussions. Reliance on polluting fuels costs approximately $791.4 billion annually, with health-related impacts accounting for $526.3 billion.
The event featured insights from Rashid Abdallah, head of the African Energy Commission (AFREC), who presented findings from the new report on "Sustainable Scaling: Meeting the Clean Cooking Challenge in Africa." He pointed out that approximately one billion of the 2.3 billion people globally without access to clean cooking are in Africa, with the continent losing about 3.9 million hectares of forest annually due to unsustainable cooking practices.
Improving access to clean cooking is a multifaceted issue that necessitates a comprehensive strategy. Cooking is inextricably related to deeply ingrained cultural and social habits that are difficult to alter. However, integrated solutions that collaborate with the private sector while prioritizing people’s wants and preferences are already yielding encouraging outcomes.
President of African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina, said that Africa requires $4 billion a year in investment to provide clean cooking equipment to 250 million women by 2030. Clean cooking refers to any fuel and stove combination that adheres to the World Health Organization’s recommendations for indoor air quality. This typically includes stoves driven by electricity, biogas, ethanol, or liquid petroleum gas, which are cleaner and more efficient than their solid fuel counterparts. It can also include stoves that burn high-efficiency charcoal and biomass pellets, which emit less smoke than regular biomass stoves.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines clean fuels and technologies as those that comply with the recommended levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions established in its global air quality standards (2021) and home fuel combustion guidelines (2014). A fuel or technology is considered clean if it meets particular air quality guidelines (AQG) or Interim Target-1 (IT-1) values of PM2.5 and CO. WHO uses this categorization to monitor progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 7, which promotes access to modern, sustainable energy.
The 34 percent of woodfuel harvesting is unsustainable, in some areas, collecting firewood for cooking is a major cause of deforestation and environmental degradation. Traditional stoves are inefficient, consuming more wood and charcoal than required, resulting in extra greenhouse gas emissions. Woodfuels account for around two percent of world emissions, with home fuel combustion accounting for more than half of all man-made black carbon emissions. Efficient stoves can reduce fuel consumption by 30–60 percent, lowering emissions and saving trees.
The Covid-19 pandemic and the global energy crisis have seen the world backslide on clean cooking progress, with 100 million households reverting to traditional cooking practices due to issues over affordability and security of supply. What is necessary is not only diversification away from a single energy commodity, but also a transformation of the energy system itself, all while preserving affordable, secure energy services. In keeping with African clean cooking targets such as the Nairobi Declaration and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (especially SDG7 on universal clean cooking access), we push for clean cooking to be a national, regional, and international policy priority.
Ambitions must be supported by rules and technological standards that maximize environmental advantages and promote clean cooking methods. Open flames or inefficient stoves Research shows that approximately 2.3 billion people worldwide (almost one-third of the global population) cook over open flames or inefficient stoves powered by kerosene, biomass (wood, animal dung, and crop waste), and coal, resulting in hazardous home air pollution.
The exposure to dangerous pollutants such as carbon monoxide and fine particulate matter poses serious health hazards, including burns, respiratory disorders, heart issues, and even premature death. Women and children, who spend the most time around cooking areas, are disproportionately affected, with greater rates of disease and death. More so in developing countries and at grassroots and vulnerable communities. According to the World Health Organization, household air pollution kills around 3.2 million people each year, creating a severe public health catastrophe in vulnerable populations. Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, and Southern Asia dominate the global access deficit.
In 2022, it is estimated that 79 percent of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa and 33 percent of people living in Central Asia and Southern Asia continue to rely on polluting fuels and cooking technologies. In 18 African countries, including Burundi, Mali, South Sudan, Niger, and Uganda, more than 95 percent of the population relies on solid fuels for cooking. Clean cooking is advocated not just to reduce the diseases associated with home air pollution, but also to prevent burns, which pose a considerable risk, particularly to children, in households that utilize open flames and inefficient cooking methods.
Burn injuries continue to be one of the most common and preventable injuries in children worldwide. Childhood burns can have severe physical, psychological, and economic implications. Cooking-related burns, which account for up to 85 percent of childhood scalds, provide a higher risk of harm and long-term morbidity compared to other types of burns. Home air pollution was projected to kill 3.2 million people per year by 2020, including more than 237,000 fatalities among children under the age of five. When combined with ambient air pollution, these contaminants result in 6.7 million premature deaths per year.
Furthermore, the time spent using and preparing fuel for inefficient, polluting equipment takes away other opportunities for health and development, such as studying, leisure time, and productive jobs. Women and children face the greatest health risks from polluting fuels and technologies because they cook and collect firewood, exposing them to harmful fumes. This fuel gathering also creates musculoskeletal problems, consumes a significant amount of time, and limits opportunities for education and other productive activities. They are more susceptible to injury in risky environments. Prioritise clean cooking Local Climate Change activist, Boitumelo Marumo said it is time for all stakeholders in Africa to prioritize clean cooking, as the current reliance on polluting and hazardous cooking methods is resulting in silent fatalities.
“Addressing this issue is crucial for safeguarding the health of millions of people, especially women and children, as well as conserving the environment and facilitating the global energy transition. Strong relationships, effective methods, supporting policies, and high standards will be critical to the initiative’s success. If we do this correctly and we must, it will immediately benefit 2.1 people worldwide,” she said. She further added that one solution is to teach people in clean cooking technology and processes to address the environmental and health effects of traditional cooking methods.
This she said could include educating individuals on sustainable development, creative thinking, financial literacy, and climate science. “Hands-on sessions and group activities could teach participants about energy-efficient stoves and alternative fuels, with the purpose of reducing carbon emissions, improving public health, and promoting sustainability. The lesson may also address key climate science principles, with an emphasis on the impact of traditional cooking methods on climate change.
The energy industry should focus on increasing electrification initiatives to improve energy infrastructure and distribution, as well as providing greater access to energy-efficient cooking alternatives. This will improve the reliability of electricity availability across countries, as well as boost access to electricity and energy-efficient cooking options for even the most remote people,” said Marumo. Currently, Uganda’s government prioritises electric cooking as part of its national electrification strategy, with a goal of 50 percent implementation by 2030. Uganda has spent the last 30 years investing in electricity as a top priority in its national budget, resulting in an apparent surplus supply.
Marumo said as a result, the government is devising strategies to generate demand for this surplus, and electric cooking presents an excellent chance, something other African countries could consider. This December, Grandhedge International at Ghana and Climate Hub Tanzania, in collaboration with climate activist from Botswana, Boitumelo Marumo, Granny Lesiamang founder and CEO of Clauseph Biofuels, a youth-led and impact-driven startup increasing access to clean cooking by manufacturing clean biomass fuel and low-cost, energy-efficient cookstoves, are hosting the Second Edition of the International Clean Cooking Ambassadors Training (ICCAT). ICCAT aims at equipping participants from Africa and beyond, with essential knowledge and skills relevant to clean cooking technologies and solutions.
This three-day program will cover a range of topics, fostering a holistic understanding of sustainable development, climate science, and practical approaches to clean cooking. Participants will engage in hands-on sessions, interactive group work, and presentations to enhance their learning experience.
