Cleaner energy = a healthier environment

1.6 billion children worldwide lack access to electricity, and 2.4 billion do not have access to modern fuels for cooking and heating. Four out of five people without electricity live in developing countries and rural areas, mainly in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

This lack of adequate energy infrastructure forces more than a third of humanity to cook and heat by burning wood, dung, and crop waste. These families face an impossible dilemma: cook with solid fuels and suffer the health consequences, or go without cooked food.

Indoor smoke causes the death of nearly 800,000 children every year. Climate and weather conditions influence the concentration of these particles in the atmosphere.

The transition from solid fuels to cleaner energy—such as liquefied petroleum gas, biogas, or solar energy—has the potential to reduce indoor air pollution while minimizing the environmental impact of energy production and consumption.

Access to modern energy services improves children's access to education, especially for girls who traditionally collect wood or other biomass fuels for cooking and heating.

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