Clean cooking in relation to climate crisis

Climate Change is threatening the world’s efforts to feed a growing population. But the way we produce and distribute our food is also part of the problem which contributes to an estimated 1/3^rd of global greenhouse gas emissions. This estimate is more than the world’s heat and electricity emissions combined. Therefore, clean cooking assumes importance in the solutions leading to target climate crisis.

On the world scenario 2.3 billion people are forced to depend on polluting open fires and inefficient stoves to cook their daily meals. Cooking with high-emitting fuels releases approximately 1 Giga Ton of CO₂ equivalent every year which can be estimated to around 2.5% equal to global emissions. Cooking also emits climate pollutants like black carbon, which contribute to warming impact stronger than CO₂.Almost half of human-generated black carbon emissions come from household fuel combustion. It is also a driver of forest degradation, especially in Asian subcontinent, where over 50% of the wood fuel harvested is unsustainable. Unsustainable wood harvesting for fuel contributes to forest and environmental degradation and is also a major driver of climate change.

In India  only fifty-nine percent of households use clean fuel for cooking and forty-one percent of households use solid fuel for cooking, mainly wood or dung cakes, predominantly in the rural areas. Lack of access to clean cooking has dangerous consequences for public health, climate, the local environment, and gender equality. This was discussed in detail during United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai (COP28).

The scale of the impact is significant. Cooking over polluting fires results in premature deaths and increases  household energy’s contribution to ambient air pollution. The harmful health consequences from cooking, disproportionately affects women, children, and vulnerable populations, making household energy a global, environmental justice issue. It is known that access to clean household energy is a global crisis.

In Jammu and Kashmir, we have not yet identified this issue neither any data has been compiled. Clean cooking requires attention from the policy makers, although PMUY has made some beginning in providing clean cooking options to some percentage of population but the challenges facing are enormous. Current state of Indian cooking necessitates LPG to be the primary cooking fuel to ensure the move from solid fuels to clean fuels, while directional efforts to transition to electricity and solar as cooking fuels could be taken up such that these sources gain prominence and wider usage as we move forward. But again J&K being a temperate zone with harsh winters is and has to face many hurdles if we do not understand the issue and plan as per our requirement.

The electrification of cooking is a natural trend that has happened in several countries, especially in urban areas. This may be encouraged, as the share of renewable in the electricity mix increases and  it will result in automatic decarbonization, focusing on generation and even distribution of green electricity which we can produce in abundance if climate change is kept at the planning level of each and every developmental project .This will help in the sustained use of the intended source and eventually migrating to access to reliable available electricity to ensure India meets its decarbonization targets and help address the aspirations encapsulated in Sustainable Development Goal-7.

R&D is missing in our research scenario in all the universities and research organizations as more research is needed to discover other bio fuel substitutes to LPG that are derived from biomaterials available in India for blending. We lack Piped Natural gas supply even today and we need a serious look into our energy needs. Govt of India has devised various schemes in this direction. The proposed blending of  Hydrogen  with PNG and Stoves working on bio fuels like ethanol, methanol, etc., need to be piloted in J&K as well.

The promise of clean cooking for climate, health, and social outcomes is clear. Yet, despite the proven benefits, the level of funding and investment in the sector has not matched the urgency of the clean cooking challenge. Here the climate finance can lead to the change in the entire landscape and it can play an important role in mitigating the harmful effects of polluting cooking methods, By harnessing the power of carbon finance in tandem with gender-responsive approaches, we can ensure that women and children, who today are disproportionately affected by energy poverty are not left behind in the energy transition. Addressing this climate challenge by increasing carbon finance for clean cooking projects, among other activities, is required to ensure that clean cooking is part of the broader climate crisis solution.

For a sustainable world a strong requirement of   bridging the gap between gender empowerment and environmental sustainability is required. There is a need to work together to prioritize programs that promote clean cooking while ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for everyone.

Clean cooking is a proven and critical part of the climate solution. Today’s highly efficient biomass stoves can reduce fuel use by 30–60%, resulting in fewer greenhouse gas and black carbon emissions.. Rapidly accelerating clean cooking transitions to LPG and other cleaner-burning fuels will reduce climate emissions while simultaneously providing significant benefits for local and regional health, women’s empowerment, and local economies.

Climate finance can play in mitigating the harmful effects of polluting cooking methods. The transformative and collaborative efforts underway across the clean cooking ecosystem will improve the conditions for clean cooking carbon projects and foster sustainable development. By harnessing the power of carbon finance in tandem with gender-responsive approaches, we can ensure that women and children, who today are disproportionately affected by energy poverty, are not left. The banks need to open up and start working in climate finance as well.