One Billion Africans at Risk from Cooking Pollution: A Looming Crisis and a Clear Path Forward
A recent report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) casts a stark light on a pervasive crisis in Africa: one billion people remain at risk from cooking pollution. This alarming figure highlights a severe confluence of energy poverty, devastating health impacts, and significant environmental damage across the continent.
The Problem: A Daily Struggle with Deadly Consequences
Four out of every five households in Africa—a staggering one billion individuals—still depend on open fires or basic stoves fueled by wood, charcoal, agricultural waste, or animal dung for their daily cooking needs. This widespread reliance on polluting fuels has dire consequences.
The combustion of these solid fuels releases fine particulate matter and other toxic pollutants into the air, both indoors and outdoors. This household air pollution is a leading cause of premature deaths, accounting for an estimated 815,000 fatalities each year in Africa alone. Women and children are disproportionately affected due to their greater exposure. The health toll includes severe respiratory diseases like pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular problems such as heart disease and stroke, and various cancers, particularly oesophageal and gastric cancers. Sufferers also experience shortness of breath, persistent coughs, chest pains, and eye irritation.
Beyond human health, the environmental damage is profound. The constant demand for wood and charcoal drives extensive deforestation and forest degradation, leading to habitat loss, soil erosion, and diminished carbon sinks. Furthermore, burning these fuels releases potent greenhouse gases like black carbon, carbon dioxide (CO2), and methane. The IEA estimates that annual greenhouse gas emissions from traditional cooking methods in Africa are equivalent to the entire global aviation industry's annual emissions. Black carbon, in particular, contributes significantly more to global warming than CO2.
The Solution: An Achievable Roadmap to Clean Cooking by 2040
Despite the grim statistics, the IEA's report, aptly titled "Universal Access to Clean Cooking in Africa," offers a beacon of hope. It asserts that this pervasive problem is solvable with existing technologies and could be eradicated across sub-Saharan Africa by 2040.
Achieving universal clean cooking access by 2040 would require an investment of approximately $37 billion, which translates to about $2 billion annually—less than 0.1% of global energy spending. This highlights that the barrier is not technological or financial, but a matter of prioritization.
The IEA's roadmap proposes a diversified approach to clean cooking, with Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) expected to provide over 60% of new clean cooking access by 2040. Other crucial solutions include electricity (17%), bioethanol and biogas (11%), and advanced biomass cookstoves (10%).
To meet the 2040 target, progress must accelerate dramatically. An average of 80 million people per year would need to gain access to clean cooking solutions, a rate seven times faster than current efforts.
The Benefits: A Healthier, Wealthier, and More Sustainable Africa
The transition to clean cooking promises immense benefits across the continent:
Lives Saved: Preventing an estimated 4.7 million premature deaths in sub-Saharan Africa by 2040.
Economic Opportunity: Creating an estimated 460,000 new jobs.
Women's Empowerment: Freeing women and girls from the time-consuming and often dangerous task of collecting fuel, enabling them to pursue education, employment, and other vital opportunities.
Reduced Emissions: Cutting the continent's greenhouse gas emissions by 540 million tons per year.
The IEA's report is a powerful call to action, urging governments, industry, and development partners to strengthen their focus and coordinate efforts. It notes encouraging progress since the 2024 Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa, with 10 out of 12 participating African governments enacting new clean cooking policies, indicating a growing commitment to addressing this critical challenge.
