SEI-symposium on benefits of cleaner fuels and stoves

Written by Sturle hauge Simonsen

Monday, 31 August 2009 08:08

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Tuesday 15 September 2009 in Stockholm, Professor Örjan Gustafsson among the speakers.

Worldwide, more than 2.5 billion people depend on traditional biomass to meet their basic energy needs, contributing to levels of indoor air pollution well above international standards. Exposure to indoor smoke results in an estimated 1.6 million annual deaths, mostly women and children.

Black carbon (soot) is thought to be the second largest contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide; it is estimated that 18 per cent of black carbon emissions can be attributed to the residential burning of biomass. Switching to more efficient stoves and cleaner fuels such as LPG or ethanol would lead to significant health and environmental benefits. There is a growing consensus that reducing black carbon emissions through improved stoves and cleaner fuels would be a relatively cheap and efficient GHG mitigation measure, while also providing major health and development co-benefits.

About the symposium
This symposium, organised by the Stockholm Environment Institute, will bring together experts in climate change mitigation, household energy and health to review the state of knowledge and discuss a comprehensive programme of action for improving energy access and mitigating the impacts of household cooking with traditional biomass in developing countries.

Location: Beijer Institute, Beijer Salen, Stockholm.

The Symposium is free of charge, but please indicate your intention to attend and send contact details not later than Friday, September 11, to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

For more information on SEI’s recent and current work on bioenergy for development, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Programme
8:30 Registration and Coffee
9:00 Welcome and Introduction
Introduction by Moderator, Dr. Liz Bates, Independent Household Energy Specialist

Speakers:
- Climate impacts from burning of biomass: Prof. Örjan Gustafsson, Stockholm University
- Health impacts from Indoor Air Pollution: Dr. Philipp Lambach, Programme Officer, WHO
- Biomass, Energy, and Development: Prof. Sribas Chandra Bhattacharya, Visiting Professor, SEI
There will be a short coffee break at 10:45 followed by a discussion with the panel and the audience

Panelists:
- Ethanol stove programme in Ethiopia: Milkyas Debebe, Director, Gaia Assocaition, Ethiopia
- Policies for supporting pro poor access to clean household energy: Margaret Matinga, University of Twente, Netherlands
- Opportunities for clean stove/fuel programmes: Harry Stokes, Director, Stokes Consulting Group

Funding for this symposium has been provided through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) through the programme on “Strengthening Energy, Environment and Development Processes” that is managed by SEI. Additional funding for some of the speakers and panelists has been provided through the Dometic Group, manufacturer of the CleanCook stove.