New cookstoves bring many benefits to poor householdsTraditional cooking on open fire is still a widespread method in Kenya.
Besides a high consumption of firewood and other fuels, this causes serious
health risks for women and children due to intense smoke production. Poor
households may often not afford modern cooking equipment. Thanks to the carbon
finance from the project, more than 15,600 efficient cookstoves were distributed
in western Kenya since the beginning of the project in 2011 until March 2014.
The stoves are covered by a limestone layer and have a specific combustion
chamber. This way heat energy is used more efficiently and fuel consumption
is reduced by up to 67%.
How improved cookstoves contribute to climate actionAccording to a statistic from the World Health Organization (WHO, 2022) around a third of the global population still relies on unsafe and environmentally harmful cooking methods. This includes, for example, cooking over open fires or using polluting cooking fuels, such as coal or kerosene. Improved cookstoves tackle this problem by using thermal energy more efficiently. Depending on the model, an improved cookstove can reduce fuel consumption by up to 70 percent, which significantly saves CO2 emissions and can lower the pressure on local forests as less firewood needs to be harvested.
Improved cookstove projects allow the distribution of the - often simple - devices made from metal or clay to households, small enterprises or community facilities. Especially for households, this has an impact beyond the CO2 reduction: better indoor air quality decreases respiratory diseases and families can save time and money as less fuel is needed. Improved cookstoves projects in the ClimatePartner portfolio are registered with international standards.
