Alliance promotes climate and health co-benefits of cookstoves
As part of the second phase of its 10-year strategy, the Alliance has increased efforts to promote clean cooking within broader environmental and public health agendas, helping to ensure co-benefits of cleaner, more efficient cookstoves and fuels.
In late November, the Alliance joined local and global partners in Ghana to kick-start planning efforts with the Climate and Clean Air Coalition around the new “Urban Health and Short-Lived-Climate-Pollutants Reduction Project.” As part of the project, which will focus on air pollution caused by transport, waste, household energy, and urban development in Accra, the Alliance showcased ongoing work to bring clean cooking solutions to scale in Ghana and advocated for household air pollution to be considered a top priority of the project.
To influence policy decisions of relevant ministries in Ghana, the Alliance is working with leading experts and partners, including Berkeley Air Monitoring Group, UrbanEmissions, and Dr. Ajay Pillarisetti to measure the burden of disease from household air pollution in Accra, the contribution of household energy consumption to ambient air pollution, and the potential reductions in exposure and resulting burden of disease due to a range of household energy interventions. The Alliance will also host a training on technical exposure and household air pollution monitoring for the Ghana EPA and other key stakeholders.
In December, the Alliance participated in a World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Consultation for the development of the Clean Household Energy Solutions Toolkit (CHEST) in Kathmandu. CHEST is designed to be a comprehensive toolkit for assessing and addressing the state of household energy consumption on a national level. At the consultation the Alliance showcased its user-friendly prioritization, impact assessment, and evaluation tools and their applicability to WHO’s efforts. The trip provided the opportunity to observe momentum and local commitment to scaling up a wide range of clean cooking solutions in Nepal, including biogas, electricity, and LPG. Representatives from the Ministries of Health and Energy, 11 south and southeast Asian countries, as well as key local stakeholders and implementing partners, including AEPC, ICIMOD, Practical Action, LEADERs Program, the World Bank, and others were also in attendance.
The Alliance is also co-leading the air pollution component of a newly launched ‘Bridge Collaborative’. Organized by the Nature Conservancy, PATH, International Food Policy Research Institute, and Duke University, the objective of the collaborative is to improve the health, well-being, and resilience of people and nature. The 7-10 year program is designed around five major themes: air pollution, sanitation and water security, sustainable food, nutrition, and climate change.