3 Billion People Cook on Wood Fires
That’s nearly half of the world’s population. Often this cooking happens indoors, on open fires without chimneys. Open fires consume a lot of wood. They also produce smoke and other toxic gasses that dangerously pollute the air inside of these homes. The BioLite stove’s efficient process uses less than 1/2 the wood of an open fire and reduces smoke emissions by more than 95%.
Human Impacts
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• 1.6 million people die from wood smoke related diseases each year.
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• Smoke from wood fire is one of the WHO’s top 10 threats to human health.1
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• Depleted wood resource causes political instability.
Environmental Impacts
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• 14% of global warming attributable to black carbon.
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• Deforestation from wood collection.
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• Increased atmospheric CO2.
Wood Consumption
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• Half of all wood harvested in the world is used for fuel.
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• 75% of wood harvested in developing countries is burned for fuel.
A typical open fire kitchen in Malawi. Photo taken by Christa Roth
Meet the Next Generation Improved Cook Stove
The Impacts of Solid Fuel Cooking
BioLite, in collaboration with the Aprovecho Research Center, has developed the world’s first side feeding stove to deliver 95% smoke reductions.
Click on stove to learn more.
© 2009 BioLite™ - Patent Pending
The Need
International Development