Reducing wood-burning stoves could save the lives of nearly half a million Africans a year. This was reported by the press service of the Royal Institute of Technology.
Traditional wood and coal stoves are at the heart of millions of homes in Africa and other developing parts of the world. However, the balance of benefits and costs of this heating method varies by region. Burning wood, in particular, contributes to respiratory diseases, as stoves are darkly heated and it takes time to collect fuel.
The scientists ran simulations using OnStove software and found that replacing traditional wood and coal stoves in sub-Saharan Africa could prevent up to 463,000 deaths each year. At the same time, savings in healthcare costs will reach $66 billion, according to Associate Professor Francesco Fuso-Nerini. Achieving this goal will require $7.5 billion in net capital investment to provide alternatives such as gas and electric stoves and upgraded wood stoves that safely redirect emissions.
“This amount may seem high, but it is only 0.5 percent of the amount spent on energy investments in the world each year,” says the scientist.
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