Urgent action is needed

With fewer than ten years until we reach 2030, the world remains far off track to meet SDG7 — which commits to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. Nearly 2.6 billion people still lack access to modern cooking solutions, and the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to reverse progress and further exacerbate inequalities. To date, the level of commitment and investment in clean cooking has not matched the global magnitude of the challenge.

Considering the annual toll on human health, forests, climate and local economies, clean cooking solutions should be central to global strategies and to national recovery plans. Changing the way families cook their food each day will slow climate change and deforestation, drive gender equality, reduce poverty, and provide enormous health benefits. The next twelve months are critically important year for energy and international development.

The UN High- Level Dialogue on Energy, the 26th UN Climate Conference (COP 26) and the Africa-Europe political summit of heads of state in early 2022 give world leaders an opportunity to make momentous progress on climate protection, health, the environment, and women’s empowerment. Ambitious commitments and concrete actions to achieve universal access to clean cooking will be one of the most significant levers to achieving both climate and development goals.