Household air pollution and the sustainable development goals

Globally, 41% of households, over 2.8 billion people, rely on solid fuels (coal and biomass) for cooking and heating. In developing countries in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa where these fuels are predominantly used, women who are customarily responsible for cooking, and their young children, are most...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2016-03, Vol.94 (3), p.215-221
Main Authors: Amegah, Adeladza Kofi, Jaakkola, Jouni J K
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air pollution
Air Pollution, Indoor - prevention & control
Air quality
Alliances
Alternative energy sources
Biogas
Biomass
Children
Climate change
Coal
Construction standards
Cooking
Developing Countries
Distribution management
Emissions
Energy distribution
Family Characteristics
Females
Fossil Fuels
Fuel combustion
Fuels
Gas production
Guidelines as Topic
Heating and ventilation
Households
Humans
Implementation
Indoor air pollution
Indoor air quality
Indoor environments
Intervention
LDCs
Liquefied petroleum gas
Networks
Organizational Objectives
Outdoor air quality
Petroleum
Policy & Practice
Pollution
Population growth
Production
Promotion
Renewable Energy
Solid fuels
Sustainability
Sustainable development
Ventilation
Ventilators
Womens health
World Health Organization
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Summary:Globally, 41% of households, over 2.8 billion people, rely on solid fuels (coal and biomass) for cooking and heating. In developing countries in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa where these fuels are predominantly used, women who are customarily responsible for cooking, and their young children, are most exposed to the resulting air pollution. Solid fuels are still in widespread use and it appears that intervention efforts are not keeping pace with population growth in developing countries. Here we pinpoint the challenges and identify opportunities for addressing household air pollution while mitigating global climate change and promoting the sustainable development goals. We recommend the following actions: implementation of the WHO indoor air quality guidelines on household fuel combustion; effective promotion and dissemination of improved cookstoves through formation of country alliances for clean cookstoves; expansion of liquefied petroleum gas production facilities and distribution networks; harnessing renewable energy potential; promotion of biogas production at both household and community level; ensuring improved ventilation of homes through education and enforcement of building standards; and exploiting opportunities in the health and other sectors for changing health-damaging cooking behaviour.
ISSN:0042-9686
1564-0604
DOI:10.2471/blt.15.155812