Energy Summit works to curb the cooking habits that kill millions of people every year | Arts and Culture News

Harmful cooking practices kill 3.7 million people every year, with children and women most at risk.

An energy summit set to take place in Paris aimed at reducing millions of premature deaths around the world, especially in Africa, aims to raise billions of dollars to fund expanded access to clean cooking methods.

Representatives from 50 countries will meet in the French capital on Tuesday to discuss how to help billions of people improve kitchen habits that can produce deadly pollutants and fuel global warming.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), which organizes this summit, 2.3 billion people in 128 countries inhale harmful smoke when cooking over a stove or campfire.

A recent report conducted by the IEA with the African Development Bank (ADB) found that these cooking practices cause 3.7 million deaths each year, with children and women most at risk.

The issue “impacts gender, forests, climate change, energy and health,” Laura Cozzi, the IEA’s director of sustainability and technology, told reporters.

A third of the world cooks using fuels that produce harmful smoke when burned, including wood, charcoal, coal, animal waste and agricultural waste.

They pollute indoor and outdoor air with fine particles that penetrate the lungs and cause a variety of respiratory and cardiovascular problems, including cancer and stroke.

This cooking practice is the third highest cause of premature death in the world and the second highest in Africa. In children, it is a leading cause of pneumonia.

‘More bang for your buck’

Switching to cleaner cooking methods, such as gas or electric cooking, can reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by 1.5 billion tons by 2030. This is similar to the amount emitted from ships and airplanes last year, according to the IEA.

However, changing existing methods and practices can cost billions of dollars.

ADB plans to raise $4 billion to provide clean cooking for 250 million Africans by 2030.

ADB said in a statement before the summit that this amount was only a “small fraction” of the $2.8 trillion invested in energy globally each year.

But even that small investment will go a long way in helping you save more in the long run.

According to ADB, the annual economic cost of women and girls searching for firewood is estimated at $800 billion, with health care costs reaching $1.4 trillion.

“It is difficult to imagine a single intervention that would have a greater dollar-for-dollar impact in terms of health emissions and development,” said IEA expert Dan Wetzel.

Such financial support is essential as many households in Africa cannot afford to purchase suitable cooking equipment or fuel.

The IEA also encourages strong national leadership and grassroots efforts to change social norms.