This report takes stock of our collective knowledge of actions and opportunities centered on clean stoves. The report examines the lessons learned in specific stove campaigns and builds the case for a multisectoral approach to addressing the issue of inefficient cookstoves. Following are the key points from the report.

Context

• Indoor biomass cooking smoke is associated with a number of diseases, including acute respiratory illnesses and even cancer, with women and young children affected disproportionately.  It is estimated that smoke from cooking fuels accounts for nearly 2 million deaths annually (WHO and UNDP 2009), which is more than the deaths from malaria or tuberculosis.
• There is mounting evidence that biomass burned inefficiently contributes to climate change at regional and global levels, suggesting that the climate change debate needs to take household energy issues into consideration. Other products of incomplete combustion and climate forcers further exacerbate the problem.
• Though the solutions to these problems—such as replacing traditional cookstoves with improved or advanced biomass cookstoves or switching to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or other cleaner fuels—are straightforward, most studies indicate households will depend on biomass energy or solid fuels for decades to come.

Potential “Game Changers”

• Today, a new generation of advanced and more effective improved biomass cookstoves is available commercially.
• Lessons from financing small-scale energy funds provide a good starting point for cookstove financing. The experience of financing disaggregated renewable-energy projects, such as solar home systems can be useful in understanding how to defray high initial costs, and use grants and subsidies creatively.
• With the advent of new funds, especially those affiliated with international climate finance, potential avenues for financing new initiatives are opening up. The Global Environment Facility, Carbon Funds, and Climate Investment Funds offer potential opportunities for financing.
• New international coalitions and initiatives are forming around the issue of promoting advanced and effective improved biomass cookstoves and alleviating indoor air pollution. There are two most recent alliances/initiatives: (i) the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves (GACC), led by the United Nations Foundation and (ii) the Government of India’s re-launched program on improved cookstoves, which will award a prize in partnership with the global X PRIZE Foundation.

A Way Forward

• Developing and deploying the new generation of cookstoves at scale would cover a broad agenda, requiring cooperation among a range of diverse stakeholders on energy access. Today there is a renewed momentum to promote advanced biomass cookstoves that are affordable and burn fuel cleanly and efficiently.
• The building blocks appear to be falling into place: advanced biomass cookstoves backed by private-sector interest, new financing models and sources, and a coalition of the willing across stakeholder groups.
• A point of entry for development institutions like the World Bank is the International Development Association (IDA) 16 consensus on mainstreaming gender and climate change in development assistance. The social and economic consequences of reducing the hours women spend collecting biomass fuel, improving their health, and freeing up their time for more beneficial activities might well result in raising the living standards of an entire generation of children and households.
• Finally, at the global and regional levels, advanced cookstoves could contribute to a reduction in greenhouse gases and other climate forcers attributed to biomass burning.