Today, 2.1-billion people remain reliant on traditional cooking fuels in the form of charcoal or firewood. The adoption of clean cooking fuels like liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is unlikely to keep pace with the growth in the demand for charcoal, since most of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa – where reliance is highest – cannot afford to make a clean fuel transition, and an even larger share will continue using charcoal as a secondary fuel.

This dependence on charcoal comes at a high cost to the environment, thereby raising important questions on the policy direction that should be taken when it comes to the production and use of charcoal as a cooking fuel.

Given the reality of this continued dependence, innovations and investments towards modernisation of its production and use are urgently needed. This would not only secure the millions of livelihoods that are dependent on unsustainable charcoal production, but would secure cooking energy access and environmental co-benefits.

Report by the International Renewable Energy Agency