How are we working to ensure clean cooking access globally?
Rising Energy Demand
Climate Change
Nearly one-third of the world’s population still relies on polluting fuels like wood, charcoal, and animal dung for cooking – a crisis at the intersection of climate, health, and development. According to the IEA, 2.3 billion people lack access to clean cooking as of 2023. These disparities place unacceptable health and time burdens on the billions who still rely on heavily polluting fuels for daily cooking. Chronic health issues caused by unclean cooking, including COPD, pneumonia, asthma, lung cancer, heart disease, and birth defects all contribute to premature deaths across the developing world over three million premature deaths annually across the developing world. Beyond the human toll, unclean cooking is a major factor contributing to deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, access to both electricity and clean cooking have deteriorated, with over 970 million Africans without clean cooking in 2021. Source: IEA Africa Energy Outlook.
Several global initiatives are working to address this complex problem. The Clean Cooking Alliance, a global network established in 2010, aims to provide universal access to clean cooking by 2030. So far, CCA has provided $8.6 million in grants to companies, allocated $2 million for gender-focused projects, and reached 40 million people through ongoing campaigns. In 2024, the IEA raised $2.2 billion from both public and private organizations to bring clean cooking to impoverished regions, particularly sub-Saharan Africa. Significant progress towards universal access has been made in Latin America and Asia, with free stoves and subsidized liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as key enabling technologies.
Much remains to be done, but this problem can be addressed for a relatively low cost. The IEA estimates that roughly $8 billion annually would enable universal access to Africa by 2030. This is less than 1% of global government expenditures on energy affordability measures in 2022. Along with saving lives, this would lead to a net reduction of 1.5 gigatons of CO2 annually by 2030. Continued outreach is required to combat established cultural norms. Many people are skeptical of the potential health benefits of clean cooking, preferring to stick with tried-and-true methods, regardless of the adverse effects.
While often overlooked in global energy debates, clean cooking is one of the most cost-effective and scalable interventions for improving human well-being and reducing emissions. However, it requires sustained policy attention and investment.
If successful, the IEA’s “Access for All” scenario could reduce premature deaths due to indoor air quality, associated with clean cooking access, by over 2 million annually from 2023 to 2030. Source: IEA, “A Vision for Clean Cooking Access for All”
Data from the World Health Organization shows that while a majority of people have access to clean cooking, the developing world still severely lags, contributing to climate, health, and poverty concerns. Source: World Health Organization
