World Environment Day
by Hilary Benn, UK Secretary of State for International Development
May 2007
Imagine a mother having to watch her child inhale the same amount of smoke you would find in two packets of cigarettes every single day, but is powerless to do anything about it. In fact, she puts the very people she loves most at risk, just by cooking a meal and trying to keep her family warm. She does this because she has no choice. The only cooking fuel available is such poor quality, it gives out fumes which are slowly, but surely, poisoning her and the family around her.
This issue surrounding cooking on indoor stoves became a reality for me on a trip to an Ethiopian village. I was invited into a home where I witnessed how the walls were blackened with smoke; I was overpowered by the fumes while the smoke hung in the air like a black cloud.
This is the harsh reality for millions of families whose health is at risk every day. Mothers and children are disproportionably at risk as they spend large parts of their days exposed to the smoke, increasing their risk of disease.
No access to modern energy means toxic fumes and smoke are produced from using solid fuels on indoor fires; this is ripping families apart through death and disease, yet few are even aware of the problem. Not enough is being done to combat the issue - we must tackle this worldwide.
Indoor air pollution is the silent killer in these kitchens, claiming more lives than malaria every year. The World Health Organisation says that 1.5 million lives are lost every year to deaths as a result of indoor air pollution - that's one life every 20 seconds. Strong evidence links indoor air pollution with acute lower respiratory infections such as pneumonia and chronic lung diseases, including chronic bronchitis and lung cancer.
Women are often forced to carry firewood for miles, in the knowledge it will only last a small amount of time. Often this wood will weigh between 30 and 40 kg, the average weight of an eleven-year-old child.
Time spent on education is severely reduced as children are expected to help with collection of fuels.
According to the International Energy Agency, 2.5 billion people rely on low-grade fuels for cooking, such as wood, crop residues and animal dung, which give off poisonous smoke fumes.
Solutions to the problem do exist. Improved cook stoves and smoke hoods are just some of the simple method available, which in some cases has reduced smoke levels by as much as 80%. Projects which allow families to buy cleaner gas stoves are another alternative and have led to more and more communities being trained to take advantage of such solutions.
We need to involve and engage with people living in poverty, particularly women. This will be critical in identifying and implementing successful solutions to promote a market for clean, affordable and efficient household energy technologies.
Political intervention
More needs to be done to raise awareness of the problem, including the some of the relatively simple measures to combat it. This unjust loss of life tends to be unnoticed, perhaps because it is mainly the world's poorest communities which suffer the most.
We need to raise awareness and get this problem recognised on the international stage. Outdoor air pollution, which affects everyone, rich and poor alike, attracts greater attention and stimulates international action. In fact, the weight of evidence shows that indoor air pollution carries greater health impacts.
The British government recognises the enormity of the problem and is supporting of work to combat the problem. We have taken a strong lead in research programmes. This year, we have agreed to fund a 5 year, £3.8 million research programme on improving use of all forms of bio-energy. Bio-energy includes traditional fuels like wood that cause so much to smoke in the kitchen. We have also supported Practical Action and the Global Village Energy Partnership (GVEP), drawing on their wealth of experience. We know from past experience that small businesses are critical in delivering energy services, especially in rural areas. This is why DFID support GVEP's approach of helping small business. We have agreed a new £4 million programme of support to GVEP to help do this over the next 4 years.
Since the Gleneagles G8 in 2005, I have been encouraging the World Bank and Regional Development Banks to do more on access to energy and clean energy. The UK government has taken a lead on supporting the World Bank's Clean Energy Investment Framework, which is starting to make a difference.
Progress must also be made by governments of developing countries too, who must ensure that their own energy policies incorporate the needs of the poorest people. They must ask themselves whether this can be achieved through sustainable energy plans linked to their own national poverty reduction plans, backed up with active support from the international community.
This is not something that any country can do alone however; we need a firm commitment from both the developed and developing community to review and address policies to provide cleaner and more efficient fuels and technologies, if we are to meet our commitments to the Millennium Development Goals.
Hilary Benn was Secretary of State for International Development, 2003-2007.
Delivery of campaign postcards
Practical Action delivered over 1600 campaign postcards to the International Development Secretary, calling for the British government to mobilise international action to tackle indoor smoke. Hilary Benn responded to this call and in a letter to Practical Action's Chief Executive, he states:
'I very much welcome your campaign to raise awareness about the dangers posed by the widespread use of solid fuels in the home. And I do not underestimate the challenge we face ...
"Practical Action has been one of the main champions of this issue over the years, developing an excellent understanding of the causes, impacts and solutions to the problem. I urge you to continue this good work."
See a full copy of the International Development Secretary's response (PDF, 814k). As a result of the campaign, Hilary Benn has asked Practical Action to meet senior DFID officials to discuss the government's response to indoor air pollution.
Practical Action is continuing to lobby the government to do more. The 15th session of the UN's Commission on Sustainable Development offered an important opportunity for the international community to finally adopt policies to address the indoor air pollution, and we are calling for the British government to show leadership within the international community on this critical issue. Email your MP about the 'killer in the kitchen' today.
