Cooking Can Be Deadly: A Letter to the Editor from CCA Champions Chef José Andrés and Chef Sanjeev Kapoor
To the Editor:
Re: “Who Gets to Breathe Clean Air in New Delhi”
Thank you for shining a light on the dangers that children in India face each day from air pollution. The powerful story of Monu and Aamya reveals how this often invisible threat is constant in the homes, schools and neighborhoods of New Delhi — made worse through inequality.
A critical moment that stood out to us as chefs was the dramatic increase in Monu’s exposure levels as his mother and families in his neighborhood lighted open fires to cook their meals. Sadly, this is a scene replicated each day not only across India, but also in hundreds of millions of homes around the world, where people lack access to clean, modern cooking energy. And it is a crisis that harms health, the climate and the environment, while costing governments trillions of dollars.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Access to clean cooking is one of the most overlooked and underfunded development issues. And while there is no one-size-fits-all solution, there are solutions. Through increased government support, research and private-sector investment, it is possible to realize a future where no one’s life is limited by how they cook.
José Andrés
Sanjeev Kapoor
Mr. Andrés, founder of World Central Kitchen, and Mr. Kapoor, founder of FoodFood TV, are ambassadors of the Clean Cooking Alliance.
Read the original article via the New York Times.