The Issue 'bout Indoor Air Pollution from WHO

According to the WHO more than 3 billion people worldwide or almost half the world’s population continue to depend on solid fuels, including biomass fuels (wood, agricultural residues, dung ) and coal, for their energy needs. some people using a "Traditional Cooking" methods that It can't achieve clean combustion so the majority of the heat is wasted and up to 20 percent of the biomass is converted into toxic substances such as benzene , particulates, formaldehyde and carbon monoxide levels may be 20 times higher than accepted guideline values.

The resulting of Indoor Air Pollution (IAP) kills 1.7 million people every year. Over 85 percent of these deaths are children under the age of five and women . Indoor Air Pollution (IAP) generated illness and deaths strain already poverty-stricken families on the edge, reducing income generation capacity and adding expenses for health care and medication. But this is not just a health issue.

Cutting down trees for fuel leads to desertification, deforestation and has long been linked to increased greenhouse gas emissions. However, black carbon from "Traditional Cooking" methods in developing countries one of the top contributors to global warming. Second only to carbon dioxide (45%), black carbon accounts for 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions globally. Replacing traditional cooking fires in developing countries with clean cookstoves is seen as a “quick-fix” that provides developing world nations time to get a handle on CO2. Since black carbon only stays in the atmosphere for a few weeks (unlike carbon dioxide which lingers for years), replacing traditional cookstoves with clean-burning versions would have a dramatically impact, removing its warming effects almost immediately. But this is not just an environmental issue.

In many developing world countries Women and children can spend up to 6 hours each day collecting fuel for cooking. Families spend between 7-15% of their annual household income exclusively on energy costs. By reducing the quantity of biomass fuel needed, families have increased time, money, and choices about how to improve their family life.