A. Assessing health and climate impacts of woodfuels and other household energy options. Rob Bailis
Channel: ISTF-Global
Date: 2023-09-05

Assessing health and climate impacts of woodfuels and other household energy options. Rob Bailis, Senior scientist at the Stockholm Environment Institute US (SEI-US), United States

Over two billion people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) rely on biomass fuels like wood and charcoal to meet their basic needs. Small-scale biomass burning results in pollution that damages health and drives climate change. Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and grid-based electricity are scalable alternatives to biomass but have also raised climate and health concerns. In this presentation, we review the sources of emissions from common household fuels and discuss some recent assessments of health and climate impacts of business-as-usual (BAU) and alternative household energy pathways. We find full transitions to LPG and/or electricity decrease emissions and result in slight global temperature reductions. Shifting from biomass to alternative fuels would also reduce health risks. We close by discussing policy implications and examine some incentives that could accelerate a clean cooking transition. 

Rob is a senior scientist at Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI-US). His research focuses on the relationships between energy, social welfare, and environmental change in developing countries. Rob’s current research focuses mainly on biomass energy, ranging from traditional energy carriers like wood and charcoal to advanced liquid biofuels. Rob is also interested in social impact assessment and life-cycle approaches to help understand the implications of increased reliance on non-traditional forms of bioenergy. Rob has a B.S. in physics from Pennsylvania State University, an M.S. from Northwestern University, and a Ph.D. in energy and resources from the University of California, Berkeley.