Saving Lives and Combating Climate Change

The most dangerous activity a woman can undertake in the developing world is cooking for her family.

Household air pollution from cooking with solid fuels kills 4 million people annually, according to new global burden of disease estimates published in The Lancet."

– Press Release, Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, December 17, 2012

The annual health and environmental impact of open fire cooking:

Health: 4 million deaths each year

Each year toxic smoke from open cooking fires causes four million deaths worldwide and is a leading cause of death in children under five.

Safety: 4 million reported burns annually

Four million women and children suffer painful and debilitating burns from their cooking fires.

Environment: One billion tons of GHGs emitted each year

500 million cook fires emit nearly one billion tons of greenhouse gases each year and cause massive deforestation.

Poverty: 20 hours a week spent collecting firewood

An average man, woman or child spends 20 hours each week gathering wood. Wood collection takes valuable time that could be spent at work or school.