Washington, D.C. Today, U.S. Today, the U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R.ME) and Dick Durbin(D-IL), introduced The Clean Cooking Support ActThe bill would address the health, economic, and environmental problems caused by smoke from open fires and traditional cookstoves. This bipartisan legislation strengthens the U.S. government’s commitment to encouraging the adoption clean cookstoves worldwide and seeks a whole of-government approach in addressing household air pollution.
Our bill addresses a serious global environmental and public health issue that the United States can lead. It would directly help some of the poorest people in the world, including the girls and women who are most affected. It also reduces harmful pollution that impacts us all. said Senator Susan Collins. I urge my colleagues to join me and Senator Durbin in supporting the Clean Cooking Support Act.
The U.S. should be a leader in creating and implementing climate strategies that support a cleaner and healthier planet for all. said Senator Durbin. With the Clean Cooking Support ActWe can reduce harmful emissions and protect people from the health risks posed by unsafe and inefficient cooking stoves and fuels. I am proud that Senator Collins introduced this bipartisan legislation to ensure that American assistance and expertise are used in this timely effort.
This legislation has enjoyed strong bipartisan support from over 50 organizations in Maine and across the country.
At an event at the COP26 international climate conference the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Michael S. Regan The U.S. government will collaborate with the Clean Cooking Alliance, other countries governments, and partners at all levels of government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from heating and cooking. This is a direct threat to the health and livelihoods for nearly 40 percent of the world’s population.
The message from COP26 was clear. We need climate solutions that reduce harmful emissions and also address economic, gender, and health inequalities. said Dymphna van der Lans, Chief Executive Officer of Clean Cooking Alliance. This transition is impossible without significant increases to funding and dedicated resources. We thank Senator Collins, Senator Durbin, for their leadership on this issue. We look forward to working together in passing this legislation and helping to make universal access to clean food a reality.
Everyone deserves the opportunity to breathe clean, healthy air, said Harold Wimmer, President & CEO of the American Lung Association. Helping people transition from old, polluting cookstoves to newer versions that emit less particle pollution will have immediate health benefits, especially for the women, young children and the underserved communities who disproportionately suffer the effects of household air pollution. Thank you to Senators Collins and Durbin for their continued leadership on this issue.
Nearly three-quarters of the world’s population rely on dirty cooking. These include open fires and inefficient, polluting and unsafe cookstoves that use dung, agricultural waste, wood, charcoal, or any other solid fuels to cook their food. These types of cookstoves or fuels are most common in developing countries, such as Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Smoke from open fires and traditional cooking methods can cause lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, and other chronic and acute diseases. Household air pollution from open fires and traditional cookstoves results in 4 million premature deaths per year. This includes 400,000 children below five years of age who live in sub-Saharan Africa.
Traditional cookstoves are also a serious threat to the environment, contributing to more that 10 percent of global ambient pollution. According to the EPA greenhouse gas emissions from nonrenewable woodfuels for cooking account for two percent of global CO2 emission. This is on par with global CO2 emissions coming from the shipping or aviation industries.
The Clean Cooking Alliance is a public-private partnership that has supported clean cooking since 2010. It was established by the United Nations Foundation in 2010. The Clean Cooking Support ActThis effort would be supported by:
- The United States will establish a policy to reduce the negative effects of household energy consumption in its foreign assistance programs and activities. This will include research on clean cookstoves, diplomatic engagement in order to create a market, and support for humanitarian efforts in the distribution and distribution of clean cooking fuels and devices.
- The Secretary of States established an interagency group to manage and implement the United States Agency for International Development’s creation. This group will be composed of at least six federal agencies responsible for supporting clean cookstoves projects.
- The creation and implementation of a Clean Cooking Program which involves non-governmental and international partners in support, distribution, development, and adaptation of clean cookstoves.
- All participating agencies must report annually on the progress made in developing, distributing, and supporting the Clean Cooking Program.
Click HERE for the bill text
Click HERE to view the complete list.
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