A Global Alliance worth supporting

‘Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now!’

— Goethe

 

What a week it was for the clean cookstove movement!

After last week’s launch of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstove (GACC), and after witnessing the enthusiasm with which the clean cookstove community and the public received it, it seems like an opportunity has finally opened for meaningful, global action on indoor air pollution and fuel efficiency.

The thrill was palpable at the official launch of the Alliance Thursday afternoon in Midtown Manhattan.  The participant’s excitement was only tempered by the realization that the Alliance’s goal — to deploy clean cookstoves and better fuels for 100 million homes around the world by 2020 – is a daunting one.

The Challenges

Unlike, say, malaria or HIV/AIDS which require relatively straightforward interventions (bedding nets or retrovirals), albeit on a massive scale, deploying cookstoves in the volumes proposed is a huge endeavor considering the stoves must be tailored for individual markets (think of all the different cuisines and cultures in China and India alone). Clearly, a “one-size-fits-all” approach will not work for better cookstoves.

There are other challenges, too. For example, what constitutes a clean cookstove? And what exactly does the Alliance mean by “clean?” Does it refer to emissions or fuel efficiency? (The answer is, happily, both.) And what are acceptable standards for emissions and efficiency? (See our interview with Aprovecho’s Dean Still on this issue.)

And how will this be funded? How much will it cost? What exactly will be funded? If the stoves reduce CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions, does that mean the program can sell carbon offsets? Will there be funding available for manufacturers? Will there be financing available to help customers purchase the stoves? Will the Alliance help in the social marketing of the products?

And who is going to make the stoves? Can they be made locally or are these high precision appliances that can only be crafted using standardized manufacturing practices?

And what about the fuels? Are we talking about wood and animal dung stoves only? What about the charcoal stoves preferred by urban dwellers, will there be a push to disseminate these, too, even though most manufactured stoves are designed to burn wood? What about ultra-low emission gassifier stoves? Why not make these the standard?

These are only a few of the many, many questions from the clean cookstove community, which the Alliance will be called on to answer in short order.

A Reason for Hope

The good news in all this is that the Alliance seems up to the task. That’s because it has successfully combined four key ingredients that make it possible to address the formidable challenge at hand. They include:

1. Reaching out and inviting input from stakeholders from around the world
2. Establishing support for this ambitious initiative from the highest level of governments, the private sector, and the donor community in the US and abroad
3. Significant initial financial seed funding
4. Bringing visibility to an issue that was heretofore largely ignored by the public

The Alliance’s challenge now is to build on this solid start.

So, where to now, Mac?

For three days last week The Charcoal Project was invited to participate in key meetings with decision makers. We were very impressed by thoughtful discussions, the caliber and interest of the participants, and the genuine effort to take into account the views of all stakeholders, and the commitment to the mission.

There is no doubt the road ahead will be difficult but there is a genuine willingness by all sides to help make this work.

The UN Foundation and the Shell Foundation have been at the forefront of the initiative. Both managed to successfully navigate a precipitous and perilous launch. With expectations running high, both organizations must now skillfully but firmly move the process forward in relative short order to capitalize on the goodwill of stakeholders, the donor community, and the public. Some quick wins will be in order while the nuts and bolts of the larger enterprise are sorted. The devil is all over the details on this one.

The Charcoal Project believes that this bold effort represents the best opportunity yet to achieve our mission, which is why we have chosen to unequivocally support the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves.

— The Editors

 

Key Facts about the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves (as reported on the Alliance’s website.)

Website: cleancookstoves.org

The Alliance The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves is a new public-private partnership to save lives, improve livelihoods, empower women, and combat climate change by creating a thriving global market for clean and efficient household cooking solutions. The Alliance’s ‘100 by 20’ goal calls for 100 million homes to adopt clean and efficient stoves and fuels by 2020. The Alliance will work with public, private, and non-profit partners to help overcome the market barriers that currently impede the production, deployment, and use of clean cookstoves in the developing world.

Alliance Founding Partners (in order they joined):United Nations Foundation, Shell Foundation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of State, World Health Organization (WHO), German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH, Morgan Stanley, UN-Energy, World Food Programme, UN Environment Programme (UNEP), UN Industrial Development Organization, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services  (National Institutes of Health, and Centers for Disease Control & Prevention), UN High Commissioner for Refugees, SNV: Netherlands Development Organisation, Shell, Government of Peru, Government of Norway.

Why Now?

Why haven’t the impacts of cookstove smoke received more attention?

The effects of exposure to harmful cooking smoke have historically received limited funding and research attention when compared to other risk factors (e.g., lack of clean water, sanitation, and hygiene) or diseases (e.g., malaria) that lead to similar levels of disease.  This lack of attention derives from several reasons:

• Lack of awareness among both affected populations and the donor community about the impact of harmful cookstove smoke and the corresponding benefits of clean cookstoves;
• Past “improved” stoves that did not meet consumers’ needs or local cooking patterns;
• Inadequate research into the health and environmental impacts of inefficient cookstoves;
• The lack of affordable, advanced solutions that yield clear benefits;
• Limited monitoring and evaluation of stoves programs; and
• Short-term subsidies and giveaways that have impeded the development of a sustainable market for cleaner stoves.

Why is the timing right for a Global Alliance?

Several factors are aligning as never before to put the sector within reach of a “tipping point” for adopting clean cookstoves at scale.  These factors include:

• Recent advances in clean cookstove design, testing, and monitoring;
• Compelling new research on the health and environmental benefits of clean cookstove;
• Recent commercial success and development of a number of business models in the field;
• The advent of national cookstove programs in India, Mexico, Peru and elsewhere;
• The increasing need for effective near- and long-term action to address climate change at the local and regional level; and
• The potential for carbon finance to fund stove initiatives at greater scale.

Activities

Reducing emissions and improving the efficiency of cookstoves at an affordable cost is a more complex technical challenge than it may appear. Increasing the deployment of clean cookstoves will require behavioral, technical, and cultural approaches that will vary widely amongst communities, involving changes in public awareness, supply chains, local employment patterns, consumer preferences, policy, and product design. In addition, careful monitoring and evaluation of these efforts will be needed to determine their success in reducing exposure to smoke, improving health outcomes, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions where carbon finance is utilized.

Over the next six to eighteen months, the Alliance will focus on six key strategic areas that will provide immediate gains in the enabling environment for clean stove deployment and also lay the foundation for longer-term progress:

• Planning and Governance—develop a strategic plan and governance framework to develop and sustain effective programs and outcomes;
• Advocacy—raise awareness of the benefits of clean cookstoves and advocate for their inclusion on public health, gender, energy access, and climate action agendas;
• Empirical Base—strengthen the evidence of risks and benefits to health and climate;
• Mapping—identify and assess the effectiveness of existing stove programs, UN engagement, and donor activities;
• Standards and Labels—develop consensus standards and labels, buttressed by robust field testing, to provide a clear benchmark for clean and efficient stoves; and
• Financing—explore micro, carbon, and other innovative financing mechanisms for funding stove deployment in the developing world.

To undertake these tasks, the Alliance will work in a coordinated manner to leverage the resources and technical expertise of its partners. The next phase of activities will include:

• Map out a baseline of current activities, identifying key gaps and constraints in the field, and formulate a research road map for each sector;
• Build the critical stoves policy and testing architecture (e.g., indoor air quality guidelines, global voluntary stove standards, lab/field stove testing, and review of global tax and tariff barriers);
• Develop innovative financing mechanisms (e.g., revolving load funds, distribution chain development strategy, and inclusive financing strategies);
• Support capacity building for stove production and marketing, including working with women’s collectives and NGOs;
• Engage political leaders in securing support for policies that bolster broader cultural acceptance for clean cookstoves; and
• Raise awareness through the design and execution of a global communications and advocacy strategy, raise visibility of the issue at high-level venues, support the 2011 PCIA Biennial Forum, review and improve user-aimed awareness campaigns in the field, and engage the UN system in a more coordinated fashion.

Areas of emphasis and possible activities over the first five years of operation include:

• Select target geographic markets and identifying local partners in priority areas:
• Meet the global needs in the field (i.e., implement a global communications strategy, global stove standards, and innovative financing tools);
• Identify and meet specific needs in target markets (i.e., work to eliminate taxes/tariffs for clean stoves; create stove testing centers, improve manufacturing, distribution, and supply chains, implement major public awareness campaigns, perform rigorous monitoring, develop local financing tools, and build capacity in relevant market sectors); and
• Undertake a program of research and evaluation (i.e., identify health, economic, and climatic benefits of clean cookstoves, new technologies, operational strategies, cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit metrics).

The Alliance will evaluate its progress and adjust activities as necessary based on changing circumstances in the market in order to successfully reach the 100 million cookstoves by 2020 goal.