Humanities worst ongoing crisis
The Silent Crisis: Transitioning from Solid Fuel to Solar Cooking in Humanitarian Contexts
Every month, more than 250,000 people die from the effects of smoke inhalation due to cooking with wood or charcoal—exceeding the total fatalities of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. This MONTHLY ongoing tragedy represents the worst human disaster of modern times, with over 60 million world wide fatalities since that fateful day in 2004, claimed the lives of 230,000 individuals.
The SOLCO Partnership aims to address some of this crisis by transitioning 250,000 households - in a humanitarian context - to solar-electric cooking by 2027, potentially saving 7,500 lives over five years. As solar panel costs have plummeted from $130 to $0.31 per watt, it makes clean cooking solutions increasingly affordable and scalable for vulnerable populations.
The Scale of the Crisis - Health Impact
Cooking with solid fuels in Sub-Saharan Africa is the worst thing people can do for their health—worse than road traffic accidents, COVID-19 at its peak, and all forms of cancer combined. Worldwide, it causes 3.1 million deaths annually and is responsible for over 10% of deaths in children under five. The health consequences are devastating, ranging from respiratory infections and heart disease to stroke and lung cancer.
Affected Populations
Mllions of people in Sub-Saharan Africa still cook using open fires or inefficient stoves, but for refugees in humanitarian settings, this is often the only available cooking method, creating a daily health hazard. Women and children are disproportionately affected, as they typically spend more time near cooking fires and often face dangers when collecting firewood.
The SOLCO Solution - Solar Electric Cooking Benefits
The SOLCO Partnership promotes solar electric cooking as a comprehensive solution with multiple benefits aiming to rollout 250,000 eCookers by 2027.
- Improved health: Eliminating toxic smoke and reducing respiratory infections
- Time savings: Up to 15 hours per week not spent collecting or buying firewood
- Enhanced safety: Reducing dangerous journeys to gather fuel
- Educational improvements: Powering lights for evening study and reducing school absences due to illness
- Economic advantages: Eliminating expenditure on wood/charcoal and mobile phone charging
- Environmental impact: Overall contribution of all cook smoke is 2% of global CO2 emissions caused by solid fuel cooking (equivalent to the entire aviation industry). SOLCO's work will reduce emissions by up to 5 Mega tonnes from their small portion of the emissions.
Why Now?
Solar technology has reached a tipping point of affordability and efficiency. The cost per watt has dropped from $130 to $0.31 (in 2023 inflation-adjusted dollars), while global solar capacity has grown from 8 to 557 gigawatts annually. Sub-Saharan Africa, the region most in need of solar cookers, also has the highest solar potential. Solar panels are already appearing on rooftops in refugee camps like Kakuma.
Conclusion
The transition from solid fuel to solar cooking represents one of the most impactful humanitarian interventions available today. With the dramatic reduction in solar technology costs, we now have an affordable solution to address this silent crisis.
The SOLCO Partnership has made significant progress but requires additional funding and partnerships to reach its goal of 250,000 e-cookers. By leveraging carbon credits, this initiative offers a sustainable model for saving lives while addressing climate change and deforestation—making it both a humanitarian imperative and an environmental solution.
For more info or to be put in touch with Last Mile Climate / SOLCO please email info@climatemarketinglab.org