Energy use in Nepal: Cooking for Cows

With Benjamin Robinson, University of Nottingham.

All seminars online. Please contact sue.davis@nottingham.ac.uk for the link. Subject to change.

Part of the Environment and Society Seminar Series.

40% of global population does not have access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking. These 2.6 billion people are exposed to household air pollution daily, this results in a number of irreversible respiratory health issues responsible for up to 4 million deaths per year, with 20% of these being children under the age of 5. That’s 10,000 people a day, or the population of Nottingham per month. These issues are especially relevant in the context of COVID-19, where underlying respiratory issues are one of the distinguishing factors between life and death. The situation in Nepal is worse than average. Around 65% of rural households use firewood as their primary fuel source and only 29% have access to clean cooking technologies. Rural households combine, or stack, multiple cookstoves to satisfy their energy needs – many even have a specific stove for their cows!

Drawing on a number of my research experiences in Nepal as well as various literature sources, I shall present a novel end-user orientated approach to better integrate complex contextual issues of energy technology adoption and sustained use. This is aimed at national and international development practitioners increasing energy access for low-income households both in Nepal and around the Globe.