1333 – Improved cookstoves Countrywide, Myanmar
Safe cooking for families in Myanmar
Indoor cooking over open fires is very harmful to health. The resulting air pollution is responsible for the premature deaths of over 4 million people a year, more than HIV/AIDS and malaria combined. Fuel Efficient Stoves (FFS) reduce air pollution by 80%, significantly improving people’s health and safety. Household carbon emissions are reduced by 60%, or four tonnes per year per stove. The Myanmar Stoves Campaign is the first Gold Standard certified climate project in Myanmar, which is now distributing those fuel-efficient cook stoves to thousands of families. But the stoves not only benefit people’s health, but also the forests. Myanmar is the third largest cause of global deforestation. The more forests disappear, the more expensive wood becomes, which increasingly drives families into energy poverty. Every efficient cookstove reduces wood consumption by at least 50%, which reduces pressure on forests and lowers household expenditure on fuel. Reducing expenditure on wood makes a big difference to families already living in poverty, and reducing the time spent looking for wood means more time is available for smallholder farms and securing a good harvest.