The provision of efficient domestic cookstoves to households in Mozambique reduces their emissions from cooking by around 50%.

Background

Most families and communities in Mozambique use inefficient cookstoves within their homes, utilising unsustainable sources of wood or charcoal as fuel. These traditional cooking methods require large amounts of firewood or charcoal, which release significant levels of greenhouse gas emissions. The use of such cooking methods contributes to an estimated 2 to 5% of annual emissions worldwide.

The provision of efficient biomass stoves also helps reduce the significant level of deforestation currently witnessed in Mozambique. Mozambique’s forests decreased by 4,356,000 hectares between 1990 and 2010, causing carbon stock to decrease by around 186 million tonnes.

Whilst this fall in indoor pollution caused by the burning of this wood-based fuel will also have significant health benefits. With inefficient cooking practices and poor indoor ventilation, being a leading contributor to respiratory tract infections, causing around 4.3 million premature deaths each year from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Additionally, these efficient cooking stoves support household expenditure relating to the purchase of firewood and charcoal, as the quantity of cooking fuel needed decreases. Alongside reducing the time spent by households, often women, in collecting firewood and charcoal, ever directly from forests or transporting fuel from markets.

About the project

This project is certified to the highest level by the Verified Carbon Standard.

Criteria	Project
Additionality	The additionality of this project is considered high, as without the provision of these stoves it is highly likely these families who have continued using traditional cooking techniques, contributing significant levels of emissions.
Emissions reduction	The project has an estimated annual emissions reduction of 30,373 tonnes of CO2e.
Verification	Verified Carbon Standard
Contribution to sustainable development (in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals*)	3 – Good Health and Well-Being, 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth, 13 – Climate Action, 15 – Life on Land

* Read more about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. We require that the projects we support meet at least 3 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, of which one is climate action. This means that as well as fighting climate change by offsetting carbon emissions, the projects your money is supporting contribute to sustainable development for ecosystems and communities around the world. 

The impacts and benefits of this project: 

This project contributes strongly to sustainable development both within the local area and at a national level. 

Environmental Benefits: 

• These stoves shall reduce both the use of charcoal and firewood traditionally used for cooking, decreasing household greenhouse gas emissions.
• Reduced demand for firewood and charcoal will discourage local deforestation. Subsequently, this shall decrease the loss of local biodiversity, alongside reducing the destruction of a valuable carbon sink.

Social Benefits:

• Health benefits from efficient cooking stoves include reducing indoor pollution, particularly carbon monoxide. This reduction in pollution directly links to reducing respiratory tract infections and deaths linked to carbon monoxide poisoning, especially towards women and children who spend the most time in Mozambique’s homes.
• Reduces the time needed to collect firewood, both directly from forests and markets. This directly links to improved social relations and livelihoods.  

Economic Benefits: 

• Contributing to economic stability for families in Mozambique through more efficient use of firewood, reducing household expenditure on previous fuel purchase, and saving time for potential employment.
• Training and employment opportunities for local workers in the distributing and installing of new cookstoves, alongside the removal of traditional cookstoves.

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Your impact

You can see a record of our donation to this project on our public ledger.

Thanks to the contributions of our members, we are reducing carbon emissions for a more sustainable future.

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