Cookstove Changeout Promises Health Benefits to Worlds Poor

Hundreds of millions of the worlds poor are exposed to toxic emissions from inefficient and antiquated cookstoves. Hillary Clinton recently announced a new initiative that aims to modernize the cooking methods for millions of people in the developing world. The emissions from said stoves are closy correlated to infant moratality rates and pneumonia.

The program aims to "create cleaner, healthier, environmentally sound and locally adapted stoves that women will want". The program aims to promote local markets by funding development of cleaner cookstoves. as one official was quoted as saying, "If local tastes are not consulted, [the stoves] will stack up and not be used. That’s why a market-based approach is needed,” Over 2 million deaths a year are attributed to exposure to fumes produced by commonly used cookstoves. Learning from previous failed aid attempts, the program does not claim to have a blanket solution and instead takes local and cultural prefrences into account, providing different stoves in differnt regions.

The health benefits promised by the program are obvious but the program could also lead to environmental benefits. In many cases deforestation and degradation of agricultural land are closely tied to subsistence charcoal production. Modern stoves often rely on alternative fuels such as wood pellets or solar power. If succesful the initiative could act as a framework for future efforts and fostering sustainability in the deveoping world.