Case Study 3: Bangladesh Cook Stove Projects

According to the World Health Organisation, the indoor air pollution caused by cooking results in an estimated 1.6 million premature deaths in the developing world each year, largely among women and children. This is a death toll greater than that caused by Malaria. It also causes acute respiratory infections, ear and eye problems, breathlessness, chest pains, headaches and giddiness. Providing poor communities with clean and energy efficient cook stoves is a key way in which this enormous global problem can be addressed.

In Bangladesh, our project partner, Practical Action, is running training courses to show people how to build improved energy efficient stoves using local materials. These stoves consume less than half the fuel compared to a traditional open fire and have chimneys to remove the smoke. A key element of the programme is to show people how to set up a micro enterprise to make stoves for others in the community, and thus ensure that more stoves are built after the training courses have finished

This project started with funds from Climate Care, under an arrangement where Practical Action promoted the installation of 2500 efficient cook stoves. The project activity has since been expanded and has resulted in the installation of an additional 5000 cook stoves installed and working by the end of year 2005.

GHG emissions savings are derived from more efficient use of biomass to supply energy needs than traditional cooking methods. The project creates emission savings that go beyond what would have been created in a business-as-usual scenario as it is financed primarily by charitable donations. The income derived from the sale of the offsets created by this project will be used by our Project Partner, Practical Action, to finance other activities that improve the standard of living of the World's poor.