Shell Foundation – Smoke in the Kitchen Blog

At the USAID Workshop on ‘Advanced Cook Stoves: Furthering the U.S.-India Global Partnership’ on December 10, 2009 in Delhi the U.S. Ambassador to India Timothy J. Roemer in his opening speech said

“I am excited to be here today in the company of so many talented experts on an issue that is near and dear to my heart — cook stoves.
Before we started this morning, I had a chance to talk to a number of the improved cook stove vendors whose displays are set up outside. The people from Envirofit, a U.S. based company, told me about a woman from Karnataka who has been using their product. She told them: “Before experiencing the new cook stove, cooking was extremely difficult and painful. The old wood stove would cause my eyes to burn and my chest to pain. After using the new cook stove I no longer have these problems and I am extremely happy with this stove.” …

We are all here today so that we can celebrate many, many more stories like this.”
The United States and India are committed to working together to ensure that the poorest and most vulnerable members of society have access to the best and most cost effective cook stove technology. This technology will improve the health and lives of Indians while paving the way for a brighter and more environmentally safe future.

…India’s “National Biomass Cook Stove Initiative” is an exciting opportunity for the U.S. to contribute to India’s longstanding efforts to tackle the problem of indoor air pollution in India while enhancing the lives of all Indians. Working together, we can make efficient and healthy cook stoves accessible to all.
Sharing a meal unites families, friends, and communities every day in every corner of the world. And yet, in so many parts of the world and in so many communities in India, the simple act of preparing a traditional meal and nourishing a family can expose the household and neighborhood to increased levels of pollution.

Because women are usually responsible for food preparation, the reality is that the majority of those exposed to indoor air pollution are women – and the young children who spend their days with their mothers around the cook stove. Yet, women often play a critical decision making role with respect to household energy resources. And when women control decisions related to the kitchen and cooking, it can lead to investment in alternatives, like improved cook stoves which not only benefit their families, but their communities.

Every year in India, exposure to smoke from solid fuels contributes to nearly
440,000 deaths in children under five years and more than 34,000 deaths from chronic respiratory disease in women. That is close to half a million women and children.

The saddest part of this story is that these deaths are largely preventable and the effects of indoor air pollution on our communities and planet can be ameliorated with the efforts of those of you represented here today.

I have long been very deeply concerned about the harmful effects of indoor air pollution on the health and wellbeing of men, women, and children, as well as on our environment. It is a well documented fact that open cook stoves without chimneys, or chulhas, (CHEW Luhs) as they are called in India, are a major contributor to indoor air pollution throughout the world.

This is not only an Indian problem, but as a global power, India can lead the way to a solution for her own citizens and others at risk around the world.

Since my arrival in India, I’ve looked for opportunities in all areas where our two great nations can come together. Today is one of the many, I hope, results of that search. We’ve got some of the best minds currently working on improved cook stoves here in this room today and I urge you to work together to find a way forward for the health of our communities and our planet.

I look forward to many more such occasions where our two countries can build on our own experiences and intellectual capital to work together to solve the most pressing challenges of the 21st century.

I want to thank you all for your time today and for the energy you are devoting to this important issue. Today’s conference brings us one step closer to developing safe and affordable cook stoves that honor the cooking traditions so important to families throughout India while protecting the health and safety of these families and our environment.

In particular, I would like to take just a moment to personally thank Dr. Kirk Smith, Professor of Global Environmental Health, University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Smith is a leading expert in the field of environmental health and climate issues. We are very fortunate that he is able be here.

I am greatly looking forward to the outcomes of today’s meeting. I couldn’t be more excited about a future where families will be able to gather all over the world to share the meals that bind them together in a safe and healthy environment.

Reply