Opening in Paris, the energy summit intends to raise billions of euros to finance increased access to clean cooking methods and aims to cut millions of premature deaths worldwide, particularly in Africa. On Tuesday, delegates from 50 nations will gather in the French capital to talk about ways to assist billions of people in changing their cooking habits, which can lead to harmful chemicals and worsen global warming.
Cooking over open fires or simple stoves exposes 2.3 billion people in 128 countries to toxic smoke, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), which is organizing the conference. According to an IEA analysis recently done in collaboration with the African Development Bank (ADB), those cooking techniques kill 3.7 million people annually, with women and children being the most vulnerable. The IEA’s sustainability and technology director, Laura Cozzi, told reporters that the issue “touches on gender, it touches on forestry, it touches on climate change, it touches on energy, it touches on health.”
A third of the world’s chefs use fuels such wood, charcoal, coal, animal dung, and agricultural waste, which when burned, release toxic vapors. They contaminate the air both indoors and outdoors with tiny particles that enter the lungs and lead to a variety of respiratory and cardiovascular issues, such as cancer and strokes. The third greatest cause of preventable deaths worldwide and the second worst in Africa are these cooking habits. They are a primary cause of pneumonia in youngsters.
According to the IEA, adopting clean cooking techniques like gas or electric cooking would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1.5 billion tons annually by 2030. This is approximately equal to the amount of emissions from ships and aircraft last year. However, it would take billions of dollars to change the way that things are done. In order to give 250 million Africans access to clean cooking by 2030, the ADB is attempting to fund $4 billion.
That value represents a “small fraction” of the $2.8 trillion in energy investments made annually worldwide, according to a statement released by the ADB before to the meeting. However, even that tiny investment would add up to a significant amount of savings over time. The ADB estimates that the time wasted by women and girls looking for fuel wood costs the economy $800 billion annually, and the health costs might reach $1.4 trillion.
Expert from the IEA Dan Wetzel stated, “Dollar for dollar, it’s hard to imagine a single intervention that could have more bang for its buck in terms of health emissions and development than this.” Such financial assistance is necessary because many African households cannot afford fuel or an adequate cooker. The IEA advises both grassroots initiatives to alter social norms and robust national leadership.
