1.9 million people (mostly women and children) die annually in the developing world from illnesses brought on by breathing toxic smoke from indoor cooking stoves.
Last month, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the launch of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves.
This global project aims to provide 100 million clean-burning stoves to villages in Africa, Asia and South America. The United States will contribute $50 million, with other countries and private organisations pledging $10 million.
Three billion people worldwide rely on solid fuels such as wood, dung and coal to meet their basic domestic energy needs. Typically these fuels are burnt on open fires or inefficient stoves and cause high levels of indoor air pollution, which causes life-threatening illnesses including pneumonia, lung cancer and heart disease. In addition, many of the toxic gases and particles in the smoke contribute to climate change.
The replacement stoves are relatively small, simple cylindrical devices costing less than $100 and capable of capturing between half and 95% of the harmful emissions. More efficient stoves also reduce the time people (usually women and girls) have to spend collecting fuel. In cases where fuel is purchased, the cost of an efficient cookstove can be covered by the savings in fuel within a few months. The programme will create small manufacturing companies close to the target populations, creating new jobs in the process.
