How Clean Cooking Could Prevent Premature Deaths Across Africa and Middle East

Every evening across Africa and the Middle East, millions of families gather around open fires and inefficient stoves to prepare their meals. The smoke that fills their homes poses a deadly threat, claiming hundreds of thousands of lives every year. This daily exposure to toxic fumes represents one of the largest overlooked public health crises in both regions. Expanding access to clean cooking solutions could prevent these deaths while transforming lives in ways that extend far beyond health. The Daily Danger Facing Billions of People The numbers tell a sobering story. Globally, around 2.1 billion people cook with polluting fuels … Continue reading

Reducing Energy Poverty is Crucial to Sustainable Development

The world is currently facing an unprecedented health crisis, and as usual the vulnerable communities are hit the hardest.  Energy poverty (or lack of access to electricity) is worsening the humanitarian crisis amid COVID-19 pandemic, and is preventing the poor from securing social benefits and economic opportunities. Electricity, in modern life, is the foundation and lifeline for communities and economies to run and thrive. There is a growing international acknowledgement of the strong ties between poverty and lack of access to modern energy. For example, in impoverished communities, peoples’ well-being is in grave danger, because of the use of dirty … Continue reading