Most people think air pollution comes from car-clogged roads and coal-fired power plants. However, noxious gases are often emitted from houses.

In many places around the world, according to the Economist, families use combustible materials to cook (ie wood or charcoal) instead of cleaner methods such as natural gas and electricity. Smoke caused by cooking in each household leads to more than 4 million premature deaths a yearwhich makes it the third leading cause of premature mortality in women and children, from heart disease and stroke.

Cutting wood for the fireplace or using charcoal is also harmful to the environment. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that past actions have caused the deforestation of an area the size of Ireland.

Poor countries in the “eye of the cyclone”

Poor countries are more affected by the phenomenon. A study by the Lancet, a medical journal, published in May estimated that North Koreans face the highest death rates from contamination resulting from cooking. About 240 out of every 100,000 North Koreans died of the above reason in 2021. The Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, both in Oceania, had rates of 146 and 140, respectively.

Some countries have reduced death rates. Across Asia since 2010 some 840 million people have gained access to cleaner cooking methods. China, India and Indonesia have halved the number of people using ‘bad fuel’.

Africa has the most cooking deaths

However, in Africa the progress of the issue has been fueled by rapid population growth. Between 2010 and 2022 the proportion of people in sub-Saharan Africa using cleaner cooking methods increased from 8% to over 15%, but the total number of people without access to cleaner cooking methods is over from 220 million. The death rate from air pollution is higher in Africa than anywhere else.

Clean cooking programs in Africa are woefully underfunded. “African governments and multilateral development banks have never made the issue a real priority,” said Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA). Many African countries have recently withdrawn programs due to mounting debt burdens, although some global fund-raising efforts have accelerated this year.

The Gender discrimination also hinders progress: women and girls are more at risk than boys and men from cooking with harmful fuels. In some places, risk reduction may be a lower priority, according to research by the nonprofit Clean Cooking Alliance.