The clean cooking promise risks stalling as finance lags behind pledges

Editorial Team SDG10
1 day ago
3 min read

At first glance, the numbers appear encouraging. The latest tally of Energy Compacts reports commitments worth 1.6 trillion US dollars, a sum that in principle could accelerate the global transition to sustainable energy and improve the lives of billions. Yet, of that total, only 284 billion has so far been mobilised. Behind the impressive headline lies a reality of slow delivery, fragile supply chains and persistent inequities, particularly in the field of clean cooking.

Clean cooking is often overshadowed by solar farms or grid expansion, but its relevance is profound. In 2020 alone, household cooking contributed an estimated 1.69 gigatons of CO₂ equivalent, with 77 per cent stemming from non-renewable biomass. At the same time, indoor air pollution from wood, charcoal and kerosene remains a major public health burden, linked to respiratory and cardiovascular disease and responsible for millions of premature deaths, disproportionately among women and children.

A critical gender and equity dimension

Clean cooking is not merely an energy issue, it is also a matter of time, labour and rights. In many rural and low-income communities, women and girls bear the responsibility of gathering fuel and cooking over smoky stoves. Access to affordable clean cooking systems can ease this burden, free time for education or income generation, and reduce exposure to harmful smoke. Advocates stress that without integrating gender equity and affordability mechanisms, large-scale programmes risk reinforcing existing inequalities rather than dismantling them.

The financing gap and disbursement dilemma

The Clean Cooking Alliance and its partners argue that achieving universal access requires scaling investment dramatically, from 5 billion US dollars annually by 2025 to 20 billion by 2030. Yet actual flows are far below these thresholds. The 2024 Africa Clean Cooking Summit mobilised 2.2 billion, but this remains a fraction of the need. Moreover, stove stacking, the tendency for households to use new stoves alongside traditional ones, complicates measurement and undermines the health and climate benefits of investments.

Policy guidance is beginning to address these issues. The report No Time to Waste urges governments to embed clean cooking into national energy and climate strategies, with attention to gender sensitivity and equity. The global roadmap for inclusive clean cooking echoes these recommendations, calling for country-level action plans. The momentum is visible, but the gap between plans and execution remains stark.

Supply chains, culture and sustainability

Even when funding is available, challenges remain in logistics, infrastructure and behaviour. Fuels such as LPG, ethanol or electricity require reliable distribution networks that are often lacking in remote areas. Households may hesitate to switch due to cultural practices or the recurring costs of new fuels. Programmes such as Tanzania’s clean cookstoves initiative or Project Gaia’s ethanol fuel trials show promise, but their reach is still limited.

Sustainability also looms as a central question. Once donor-backed subsidies end, who ensures continued access to affordable fuels and maintenance? Some solutions rely on fossil-derived fuels, raising questions of consistency with climate goals. Without robust accountability, there is a risk that clean cooking commitments remain symbolic rather than transformative.

Measuring impact and reaching the most vulnerable

Experts warn that displaced populations, refugees and people in conflict zones are often excluded from mainstream programmes. With over 100 million people displaced globally, their omission reflects a blind spot in planning and reporting. Moreover, transparency on whether marginalised groups are genuinely reached is weak, complicating efforts to assess whether the promised benefits are materialising.

A question of credibility and urgency

The story of clean cooking illustrates the broader challenge of the energy transition: vast sums pledged, but only a fraction delivered. Without urgent action to bridge this gap, the world risks missing a crucial opportunity to cut emissions, improve health and advance gender equity. Clean cooking may not dominate headlines, but it sits at the intersection of climate, health and justice.

Achieving sustainable development goals on energy access will depend not just on the size of financial commitments but on their credibility, disbursement and accountability. For the families still cooking over smoky fires, the distinction between a pledge and a working stove is the difference between aspiration and reality.