In their recent editorial published in Project Syndicate, Razan Al Mubarak, President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and Joseph Nganga, Interim CEO of the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, discuss the transformative power of clean cooking technologies. With the IEA’s Africa Clean Cooking Summit in Paris concluded in May 2024, their insights were particularly pertinent.

The narrative centers on Florence Auma Ode from Kenya, who significantly improved her family’s health and economic status by adopting a bioethanol stove. This change underscores the broader benefits of clean cooking solutions, which are crucial yet often underappreciated in global climate discussions.

The editorial emphasizes that while clean cooking can drastically reduce global carbon emissions and help combat deforestation, 2.4 billion people still rely on traditional cooking methods which are harmful on many different levels. This situation calls for a robust global response involving innovative financing and societal changes, especially to empower women and girls who bear the brunt of these challenges.

Ms. Al Mubarak and Mr Joseph Nganga also highlight successful initiatives like the School Meals Coalition in Kenya, which enhances clean cooking access while supporting local economies and reducing emissions. They urge global leaders to commit significant resources, proposing an annual investment of $8 billion to achieve universal clean cooking access by 2030.

This call to action aims to prioritize clean cooking in international climate finance strategies, underscoring its essential role in a comprehensive approach to climate change mitigation.