The Importance of Clean Cookstoves in delivering the SDGs

Over 38% of the world’s population everyday cooking comes with an inherent risk. Household air pollution from the use of inefficient stoves and the burning of unclean fuel for cooking is responsible for around 4 million deaths a year, with women and children most at risk [World Bank, 2018]. To put this into perspective, deaths related to household air pollution total more than the deaths related to malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS combined.

Universal clean cooking is a key component of SDG 7- access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030. However, progress is currently not on track, with access to clean cooking fuels and technologies lagging furthest behind. In fact, the number of people that lack access to clean cooking has sat steady at 2.8 billion since 2000 (accounting for population growth), and according to current projections over 2.3 billion people will still use unsafe cooking solutions in 2030 [World Bank, 2018].

Open fires are incredibly inefficient. Those reliant on them spend hours each day collecting fuel and tending to a fire which often burns throughout the day. The large volumes of wood fuel required to maintain these fires are leading to local deforestation, forest degradation, and excess CO2 emissions.

SSM improved cookstove save 5tons CO2 per stove a day.