Clean Cooking Means Moving Beyond Fossil Fuels—G20 countries must lead the way

This research paper analyzes clean cooking policies across G20 countries, arguing that the current reliance on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) subsidies is financially unsustainable, often fails to reach the poorest populations, and contradicts net-zero goals. The authors advocate for redirecting these subsidies toward electric cooking and renewable energy alternatives to achieve universal access by 2030.

• Global progress toward universal clean cooking access is insufficient; approximately 2.1 billion people lacked access in 2022, and 1.8 billion are projected to still lack access by 2030, missing the SDG deadline.
• G20 clean cooking support is heavily skewed toward direct fiscal support and consumption-side subsidies, estimated at 50%–70% of public spending. In 2022, G20 countries provided USD 35 billion of the USD 42 billion in global LPG subsidies.
• LPG subsidies are criticized for four primary reasons: they often fail to reach the poorest (e.g., in Jharkhand, India, the poorest 40% received less than one-third of subsidies), they create unsustainable fiscal burdens for governments like India and Indonesia, they increase energy insecurity due to volatile global prices, and they are inconsistent with net-zero decarbonization targets.
• Transitioning to universal clean cooking requires significantly less investment in infrastructure than is currently spent on LPG subsidies; the International Energy Agency estimates USD 8 billion per year is needed for equipment and infrastructure through 2030.
• The paper recommends that G20 countries establish time-bound milestones to phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies and publish national clean cooking roadmaps that prioritize non-fossil options such as grid upgrades, appliance affordability, and local manufacturing.

APA

Septania,, M. T. S. S. S. L. R. F. N. I. S. W. H. (2025). Clean Cooking Means Moving Beyond Fossil Fuels—G20 countries must lead the way. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/clean-cooking-beyond-fossil-fuels-g20

Chicago

Septania,, Maxensius Tri Sambodo,Mesnan Silalahi,Shruti Sharma,Tara Laan,Alan R. Farandy,Eka Nurjati,Ika Inayah,Ikval Suardi,Felix W. Handoyo,Istu. Clean Cooking Means Moving Beyond Fossil Fuels—G20 countries must lead the way. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2025. https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/clean-cooking-beyond-fossil-fuels-g20.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Septania, |first1=Maxensius Tri Sambodo,Mesnan Silalahi,Shruti Sharma,Tara Laan,Alan R. Farandy,Eka Nurjati,Ika Inayah,Ikval Suardi,Felix W. Handoyo,Istu |title=Clean Cooking Means Moving Beyond Fossil Fuels—G20 countries must lead the way |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=18 November 2025 |url=https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/clean-cooking-beyond-fossil-fuels-g20 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{septania2025clean, author = {Septania,, Maxensius Tri Sambodo,Mesnan Silalahi,Shruti Sharma,Tara Laan,Alan R. Farandy,Eka Nurjati,Ika Inayah,Ikval Suardi,Felix W. Handoyo,Istu}, title = {{Clean Cooking Means Moving Beyond Fossil Fuels—G20 countries must lead the way}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2025}, month = nov, url = {https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/clean-cooking-beyond-fossil-fuels-g20}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }