How Clean Cooking Supports Sustainable Development Goals
December 23, 2024
Sustainable development might sound complex, but it often starts with simple things, like the way we cook our food. Clean cooking practices, which use efficient stoves and safer fuels, can make a big difference in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Let's explore how clean cooking impacts health, environment, economic well-being, and equality—and why it's both a key driver (leading indicator) and result (lagging indicator) of sustainable progress.
The Importance of Clean Cooking in Daily Life
Around 3 billion people worldwide still use traditional cooking methods, like open fires or simple stoves fueled by wood, charcoal, or coal. While this may seem ordinary, it actually has major impacts on health, environment, and economic stability:
Health Risks: The smoke from these stoves is full of harmful particles that can cause respiratory illnesses. In fact, exposure to this smoke is as dangerous as many common diseases.
Environmental Damage: Collecting wood or biomass for fuel contributes to deforestation and releases carbon dioxide, worsening climate change.
Time Burden: Collecting fuel and managing traditional stoves takes up a lot of time, especially for women and children, who could otherwise spend that time on education, work, or personal activities.
Switching to clean cookstoves and fuels can help solve these problems. Clean cooking plays a central role in advancing many SDGs and can be a major step toward a sustainable future.
Clean Cooking and the SDGs
Sustainable Development Goal | Relation to Clean Cooking | Impact of Clean Cooking |
SDG 1: No Poverty | Reduces fuel expenses and time spent on collecting biomass, allowing households to save money and engage in income-generating activities. | Clean cooking decreases poverty by freeing up time and resources, which families can invest in other needs, supporting financial stability. |
SDG 2: Zero Hunger | Supports agricultural productivity by reducing deforestation, which protects farmland and water sources. | Improved environmental health supports food security by protecting ecosystems that contribute to sustainable agriculture. |
SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being | Reduces exposure to harmful smoke and air pollutants, which cause respiratory illnesses and other health issues. | Clean cooking reduces indoor air pollution, leading to lower rates of respiratory diseases, especially among women and children. |
SDG 4: Quality Education | Frees up time, especially for girls, who often spend hours collecting fuel, allowing them to attend school. | By reducing the time spent on fuel collection, clean cooking enables children, particularly girls, to pursue education. |
SDG 5: Gender Equality | Lessens the burden on women, who are traditionally responsible for cooking and fuel gathering, allowing them time for education and economic participation. | Clean cooking promotes gender equality by reducing time spent on fuel collection and cooking, empowering women and girls to focus on personal and economic growth. |
SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation | Minimizes deforestation and land degradation, which protect watersheds and improve water quality. | Protects water resources by reducing deforestation, which helps prevent erosion and keeps water sources cleaner. |
SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy | Provides access to affordable, efficient cooking methods that use clean energy, reducing reliance on wood and other biomass fuels. | Clean cookstoves offer renewable and efficient energy sources, increasing energy access and affordability for low-income households. |
SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth | By reducing the time and cost of cooking, clean cooking enables women and families to engage in economic activities and improve their livelihoods. | Clean cooking contributes to economic growth by creating opportunities for employment in clean energy markets and allowing families to invest in work and productivity. |
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure | Encourages innovation in clean technology and infrastructure to develop efficient, affordable, and sustainable cookstoves. | Drives innovation and promotes sustainable industrial development in the clean energy sector. |
SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities | Ensures that clean, affordable cooking solutions reach underserved communities, bridging inequality gaps in health and energy access. | Clean cooking technologies make affordable, sustainable energy available to low-income and marginalized communities, reducing disparities. |
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities | Reduces pollution levels in households and urban areas, making cities healthier and more sustainable. | By improving air quality and reducing deforestation, clean cooking contributes to creating safer, more sustainable communities. |
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production | Promotes sustainable consumption of resources, like biomass and fuel, reducing waste and environmental strain. | Encourages efficient and responsible use of energy resources, reducing over-reliance on unsustainable biomass fuels. |
SDG 13: Climate Action | Lowers greenhouse gas emissions from household fuelwood burning and decreases deforestation, supporting climate goals. | Clean cooking cuts carbon emissions and reduces environmental impact, helping mitigate climate change. |
SDG 14: Life Below Water | Reduces pollution that can eventually reach waterways through soil and air pathways, protecting aquatic ecosystems. | Clean cooking reduces land-based pollution that can end up in water bodies, preserving aquatic ecosystems. |
SDG 15: Life on Land | Reduces deforestation and conserves ecosystems by decreasing the need for wood as fuel. | Clean cooking helps conserve forests and biodiversity, preserving ecosystems for future generations. |
SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions | Reduces conflicts over resources, as decreased fuelwood demand leads to less competition for these resources. | Clean cooking can help reduce resource conflicts in fuel-scarce regions, promoting stability and peaceful communities. |
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals | Encourages partnerships between governments, NGOs, and businesses to promote clean cooking technologies. | Clean cooking initiatives foster collaboration across sectors, advancing progress toward multiple SDGs through shared expertise and resources. |
Here's how clean cooking directly supports key SDGs:
SDG 1: No Poverty – Clean cooking saves money and time. Families can use this extra time for work or education, helping them break the cycle of poverty.
SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being – Reducing smoke in the home lowers the risk of respiratory and other diseases, leading to healthier lives.
SDG 5: Gender Equality – Clean cooking frees up time for women and girls, allowing them to focus on education and economic activities.
SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy – Clean cookstoves use less fuel and can use renewable energy, making energy more affordable and sustainable.
SDG 13: Climate Action – Clean cooking reduces deforestation and carbon emissions, which helps in the fight against climate change.
SDG 15: Life on Land – By reducing the need for wood as fuel, clean cooking helps protect forests and supports biodiversity.
In short, clean cooking acts like a “keystone” because it supports so many SDGs with one change.
Measuring Progress on Key SDGs: Leading and Lagging Indicators
When assessing the impact of clean cooking, it's helpful to look at both leading and lagging indicators:
Leading Indicators (immediate changes): These measure the quick effects of clean cooking, such as the rate of adoption of clean stoves, access to cleaner fuels, and awareness of the benefits of clean cooking.
Lagging Indicators (long-term impacts): These include health improvements, economic gains, and environmental restoration. Over time, we can see fewer health issues, more time for education and work, and better forest cover due to reduced deforestation.
By tracking these indicators, organizations can make adjustments to their programs and see if they’re on the right path.
How Clean Cooking Supports Long-Term Change
The change to clean cooking doesn’t happen instantly; it follows a process:
Market Adoption: People start using clean cookstoves because of policy support or easier access to these options.
Standardization: Reliable standards for cookstoves help ensure efficiency and safety, leading to more widespread adoption.
Short-Term Benefits: Families save money on fuel, cook faster, and experience fewer emissions.
Medium-Term Benefits: Families reinvest these savings in other needs, like education and health.
Long-Term Benefits: The entire community sees lasting benefits, such as better health, economic growth, and less environmental damage.
Each stage builds on the previous one. Adoption must be supported by education, affordable options, and community involvement to sustain these benefits.
Why Clean Cooking Is More Than a Simple Switch
For many rural households, switching to clean cooking isn’t a quick fix. Often, families use a mix of fuels—a practice called “fuel stacking.” For example, they might use both a traditional stove and a clean cookstove, depending on cost and fuel availability.
Programs that promote clean cooking should consider this reality. A gradual transition can respect existing habits and make the change easier for families to adopt. Organizations working in clean cooking can help by offering flexible options and showing families how these new stoves fit into their daily routines.
Clean Cooking as a Measure of Sustainable Progress
Promoting clean cooking is both a moral and practical choice. Healthier populations mean lower healthcare costs, reduced lost workdays, and more productive communities. Clean cooking also empowers women and girls by freeing up their time, helping them gain skills and participate in the economy.
Environmental benefits are also significant. By using clean stoves, communities reduce deforestation and carbon emissions, contributing to a healthier planet.
Conclusion: Clean Cooking as a Daily Step Toward a Sustainable Future
Clean cooking teaches us that sustainable development doesn’t always involve massive projects—it’s often about improving everyday activities in meaningful ways. When organizations like Greenway help families make the switch to clean cooking, they help shape a future that’s healthier, more sustainable, and fairer for everyone.
In this way, clean cooking supports a global mission toward sustainable development. Through small, practical steps, each meal cooked on a clean stove is a move toward a world where health, equality, and environmental stewardship are within reach for all.
