CLEAN COOKING AN “EMERGENCY BRAKE” CLIMATE SOLUTION WITH UNPARALLELED CO-BENEFITS

The document identifies clean cooking as an "emergency brake" climate solution capable of reducing global cumulative emissions by 10% by 2040 if annual investments reach US$10 billion. It highlights the severe impacts of polluting fuels—including 3.2 million premature deaths annually and the emission of black carbon—while detailing co-benefits such as improved maternal and child health, reduced deforestation, and enhanced gender equality. The brief calls for a shift from case-by-case funding to innovative financing mechanisms and national-level policy integration to reach universal access by 2030.

• Scaling annual investments in clean cooking to US$10 billion could reduce global cumulative emissions by 10% by 2040 and abate one gigaton of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-eq) every year.
• Polluting cooking fuels contribute significantly to climate change, with nonrenewable woodfuels for cooking emitting one gigaton of CO2-eq per year, which is comparable to the aviation industry's emissions.
• The use of solid fuels for cooking is a primary source of black carbon, a short-lived climate pollutant that accelerates the melting of Arctic ice and Himalayan glaciers by reducing the albedo effect.
• Universal access to clean cooking could prevent up to 3.2 million premature deaths annually and save nearly US$2.4 trillion in health-related costs and lost productivity.
• Clean cooking provides critical gender and social benefits, including reducing the time women and girls spend collecting fuel—which averages 1.3 hours per day—and lowering the risk of gender-based violence in conflict or disaster settings.
• In 12 specific nations, the burning of woodfuels is estimated to account for more than 50% of the total national emissions.
• Current funding for clean cooking is severely inadequate, with annual investments around US$200 million, and public funding from multilateral development banks fell by 84% between 2019 and 2020.

APA

Alexander, D., Belopolsky, J. C., Jasper, D., Jameel, Y., Olopade, C. O., & Pachauri, S. (2023). CLEAN COOKING AN “EMERGENCY BRAKE” CLIMATE SOLUTION WITH UNPARALLELED CO-BENEFITS. Project Drawdown. https://drawdown.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/Project%20Drawdown_Clean%20Cooking%20Policy%20Brief_0.pdf

Chicago

Alexander, Donee, Jillene Connors Belopolsky, Daniel Jasper, Yusuf Jameel, Christopher O. Olopade, and Shonali Pachauri. CLEAN COOKING AN “EMERGENCY BRAKE” CLIMATE SOLUTION WITH UNPARALLELED CO-BENEFITS. Project Drawdown, 2023. https://drawdown.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/Project%20Drawdown_Clean%20Cooking%20Policy%20Brief_0.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Alexander |first1=Donee |last2=Belopolsky |first2=Jillene Connors |last3=Jasper |first3=Daniel |last4=Jameel |first4=Yusuf |last5=Olopade |first5=Christopher O. |last6=Pachauri |first6=Shonali |title=CLEAN COOKING AN “EMERGENCY BRAKE” CLIMATE SOLUTION WITH UNPARALLELED CO-BENEFITS |publisher=Project Drawdown |date=December 2023 |url=https://drawdown.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/Project%20Drawdown_Clean%20Cooking%20Policy%20Brief_0.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{alexander2023clean, author = {Alexander, Donee and Belopolsky, Jillene Connors and Jasper, Daniel and Jameel, Yusuf and Olopade, Christopher O. and Pachauri, Shonali}, title = {{CLEAN COOKING AN “EMERGENCY BRAKE” CLIMATE SOLUTION WITH UNPARALLELED CO-BENEFITS}}, institution = {Project Drawdown}, year = {2023}, month = dec, url = {https://drawdown.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/Project%20Drawdown_Clean%20Cooking%20Policy%20Brief_0.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }