Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help reduce the use of charcoal as a cooking fuel in the least developed countries.

Urbanisation in developing countries is resulting in a rapid increase in the use of charcoal for cooking, with consequent impacts on forest degradation and human health. Around 2.8 billion people rely on wood, charcoal, animal waste or other solid fuels for cooking and heating. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that household air pollution from cooking with traditional solid fuels, such as charcoal, contributes to 3-4 million premature deaths every year, which is more than malaria and tuberculosis combined.

Indoor air pollution is a source of health inequality, with women and children in least developed countries most vulnerable to experiencing the worst health outcomes. The WHO, which FCDO funds, works to increase recognition of air pollution as an important global public health issue, supporting developing countries to reduce air pollution and its impacts on the health and life chances of their citizens.

Renewable electric cooking represents a competitive alternative to charcoal without consequences for air pollution and forest resources. Our International Climate Finance includes up to £1 billion for the Ayrton Fund, which includes support for research, development and demonstration of new clean energy technologies with the potential to improve air quality, health outcomes, and reduce carbon emissions in developing countries. The £38m FCDO-funded Modern Energy Cooking Services research programme is working towards universal access to clean and affordable cooking technologies. Such technologies have the potential to displace harmful cooking practices, helping to eliminate indoor air pollution and the preventable deaths it causes.