Paradigm Shift Makes For A Better Second Chance

Improved cook stoves have been internationally accepted as the most effective solution for tackling indoor air pollution. That said, the challenge  has been to both drive adoption as well as sustained usage. The Indian government's distribution of over 20 million stoves in the decade of the 80s and the 90s is a good example of a program that did not result in either.

William Martin, Associate Director at the National Institute for Environmental Health Making it Better to Breathe Worldwide Sciences, says in an article "Making it Better to Breathe Worldwide" in the COPD Digest that while the exposure to indoor air pollution is involuntary and driven by a limited access to cleaner fuels and stoves, there is also the issue of tackling mindsets which are part financial, part traditional.

“Sometimes they rather spend their money on other things,” Martin says. “Or they might say that their mother or grandmother cooked like this. It is very challenging to change how the world cooks. You must consider many cultural and social factors.”

However, there has been a resurgence in the attempts to drive conversion to improved cook stoves since they offer currently the best chances of reducing pollution. Among the global campaigns that are seeking a major breakthrough in finding a route to market is the Shell Foundation campaign that is aimed at creating a large base of ICS users.

The question is are the chances better this time around for a more sustained adoption of improved cook stoves? Simon Bishop, Head, Room to Breathe, Shell Foundation feels that there is good reason why new attempts to provide ICS at scale are more likely to succeed this time around.

“First, the growing link between indoor air pollution and climate change helps because it’s getting a lot more people—and therefore resources—directed to the sector,” Bishop is quoted as saying in the report.

“Secondly, several major commercial players have come into the ICS market. Historically, it was the domain of NGOs and governments who gave away stoves that focused on reducing deforestation and not the health impacts of indoor air pollution,” he says. “These new players have the potential to provide health-benefiting ICS at scale. Together, these elements suggest a paradigm shift is beginning to take place in the sector.”

Read The Full Story at COPD Digest

Photo: Shell Foundation's Simon Bishop in Shimoga, Karnataka, India discussing smoke in the kitchen and new stoves. View here a You Tube report