Report of the Engagement between ARIN and the Office of the First Lady’s (OFL) Environment and Climate Action Team
Modern Energy Cooking Services
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Abstract: Climate change is a global problem that disproportionately affects different social groups, sectors, and regions. According to an EPA report, vulnerable communities will be greatly affected by the impacts of climate change, most of whom are ill-prepared to adjust to the changes, especially those in SubSaharan Africa (SSA) and Asia. Among the factors contributing to global warming is the use of inefficient cookstoves and fuels that contribute significantly to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while also contributing to the reduction of forest cover and thus reduction of the carbon sequestration sinks. Clean cooking, therefore, offers a great opportunity to not only advance climate change mitigation but also adaptation actions. Approximately one-third of the world’s population depends on the use of biomass fuels for their cooking needs despite the adverse effects they have on the environment. The use of biomass fuel is responsible for the emission of 25% of all reported black carbon in the atmosphere globally. In Kenya, for example, the use of biomass fuels by households for cooking accounts for 22 to 35 million tonnes of carbon dioxide discharged annually, which is an equivalent of approximately 35% of the total greenhouse gas emitted in the country. The problem is worsened by the high demand for solid biomass which leads to the excessive degradation of forests to meet the demand for charcoal and firewood cooking fuels. This in turn results in ecosystem imbalance as the amount of carbon dioxide being produced through combustion cannot be absorbed by the remaining forest cover. While cooking energy is central to human existence in every society, the choice of cooking energy to embrace may jeopardize both human and environmental health. The use of biomass fuel for cooking is widely common in Africa and Kenya and is associated with negative human health effects such as respiratory illnesses and eye conditions, which are usually attributed to exposure to Household Air Pollution (HAP). The World Health Organization reports that nearly 7 million untimely deaths throughout the globe are attributed to air pollution, both internal and external. Out of the figure, over 60% of the deaths, 4.3 million, are associated with HAP. In Kenya, HAP is responsible for the deaths of about 21,560 people every year.