The growing push for clean cooking in Africa — and the U.S. role
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International Energy Agency head Fatih Birol wants to move Africa's need for clean cooking fuels and tech higher on the global agenda — and sees the U.S. as a fruitful partner.
Why it matters: Widespread use of fuels like wood, charcoal and dung — and open fires or inadequate stoves — is a massive health and economic problem.
- An IEA report this year estimated that cooking with highly polluting fuels contributes to over 800,000 premature deaths annually in Africa alone.
State of play: A first-time summit that IEA convened in France with the African Development Bank and other partners last year brought $2.2 billion in public and private sector pledges — and $470 million has already been disbursed.
- Now IEA is looking to secure more commitments at a recently announced second summit next year in Kenya.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright will co-chair along with Kenyan President William Ruto, Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Støre, and Birol.
- "We want to see even stronger financial commitments," Birol told Axios in an interview.
- And he's hoping for more equity finance alongside the debt funding.
What we're watching: Birol sees the U.S. presidency of the G20 next year as fertile ground on what Wright has also called an "urgent challenge."
- He plans to approach U.S. officials about its role on the agenda.
The intrigue: Trump officials and some Republicans have criticized IEA, arguing it has placed too much focus on climate advocacy.
- But Birol said IEA works on many topics with the Trump administration, and clean cooking is an area where views "converge perfectly."
- "We have a similar way of thinking when it comes to the issue of clean cooking and ... alignment on what could be the main solutions to address this problem," he said.
Yes, but: The Trump administration is scaling back foreign aid, which could complicate the push for more resources on the U.S. side.
The big picture: Birol is looking at multiple forums to bolster action on what he calls one of his "obsessions," as well as more summits after the Kenyan meeting next year.
- "I want to make it a regular item in the agenda of the IEA, but also in the international energy agenda," he said.
- The agency has created road maps and analysis to help bolster the use of cleaner alternatives — notably liquid petroleum gas, but also advanced biomass cookstoves, electrification, and more.
What's next: One near-term place to look is the World Economic Forum.
- Birol chairs its energy advisory board and said he'll ensure clean cooking will be on the agenda in Davos next month, and at the February session of IEA ministers.
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