SCB Improved Cookstove Development

Project Partner: SCB Environmental Markets
Offset Verification: Verified Carbon Standard

In Nepal, the use of open fires and inefficient stoves fueled by biomass for cooking and heating has significant social and environmental impacts. Over 4 million households depend on these fuel types, leading to indoor air pollution, ill-health, an increase in greenhouse gas emissions, and pressure on surrounding forests. Women, who bear the brunt of cooking duties, spend an average of five hours a day collecting wood, tending the fire, and cooking, which prevents them from engaging in more productive activities.

The use of solid biomass for cooking and heating is one of the biggest health risks in Nepal, causing about 8,700 premature deaths annually. Traditional cookstoves pose additional risks to poor households, contributing to a substantial percentage of subsequent injuries. Moreover, traditional cookstoves are a major source of environmental problems like air pollution, deforestation, climate change, and biodiversity loss. Therefore, there is a need to transition to cleaner and more efficient cooking methods to address the social, environmental, and health impacts of traditional stove use in Nepal.

The Improved Cook Stove Development project, conducted in rural Nepal, involves the distribution of 15,292 fuel-efficient improved cookstoves (ICS) to replace the basic cookstoves in disadvantaged households. More than 88% of the households in these districts use firewood for cooking and boiling water. Similarly, another 10% use dung cake to meet their daily cooking energy requirements. The Improved Cook Stoves reduce fuel consumption and emissions for cooking and water heating tasks in homes. It substantially reduces wood fuel consumption compared to a three-stone fire or traditional pot stoves. This project also has a significant impact on gender equality as it vastly decreases the drudgery of women, who spend a significant portion of their day collecting firewood.