A comprehensive analysis of cooking solutions co-benefits at household level: Healthy lives and well-being, gender and climate change

Abstract

Three billion people (>40% of the world's population) lack access to clean cooking solutions, including 2.5 billion people that still rely on the traditional use of biomass for cooking. In urban contexts, the rate of access to clean cooking solutions is normally higher than in rural contexts due to greater availability of these solutions. The relevance of providing access to clean cooking solutions (SDG 7) is linked to several associated co-benefits that contribute to a wide range of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Therefore, this paper shows a comprehensive analysis of multiple co-benefits of a clean cooking solution intervention. Health (SDG 3), gender (SDG 5) and climate change (SDG 13) co-benefits were analysed and compared through a cost-benefit analysis using a comprehensive approach in a case study in the Casamance Natural Subregion, located in Western Africa. The most important co-benefits were related to gender (SDG 5), representing 60-97% of the total economic benefits. Climate change co-benefits (SDG 13) were also relevant, representing 3-40% of the total economic benefits. Health co-benefits (SDG 3) were very limited for this case study, representing <1% of the total economic benefits. Considering these results, implications for urban settings were discussed in the light of the "making the available clean" or "making the clean available" strategies.

Keywords: Biomass stoves; Co-benefits; Cooking solutions; Sub-saharan Africa; Sustainable Development Goals; Urban.