Our series covering the six high-impact climate action projects Abatable sourced for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 continues with a cookstoves project in Nigeria with many co-benefits.
As with the other projects in the Paris 2024 portfolio, the Nigeria Cookstoves project was chosen because, in addition to significantly reducing greenhouse gases and preserving precious ecosystems in Nigeria, it also brings important health and social impacts to local people by reducing expensive and dirty biomass consumption.
Across Africa today, four out of five people, or around one billion individuals, lack access to clean cooking methods. Instead, they use biomass for fuel, but high consumption leads to serious environmental and health issues.
Demand for biomass is a major driver of deforestation, leading to habitat loss and land degradation. Burning biomass creates large quantities of CO2 emissions and dangerous combustion fumes. Indoor air pollution is responsible for illnesses such as pneumonia, strokes and heart and lung disease.
Worldwide there are around three to four million premature deaths linked to the use of traditional furnaces every year, with 500,000 women and children dying early on the African continent alone.
Most people in Nigeria still cook their meals on open fires or rudimentary stoves fueled by charcoal, dung, wood or agricultural waste. Around 70% of Nigeria’s population is dependent on biomass for cooking. The rise of urbanisation has meant that increasing quantities of charcoal are transported from rural to urban areas, at a significant cost for small traders and families dependent on this fuel source.
Nigeria’s high demand for wood currently exceeds the regeneration capacity of forests, and restoration efforts are so far insufficient. Subsequently, the lack of access to clean cooking methods has also led to widespread deforestation. Nigeria lost 1.14 million hectares of forest between 2001 and 2021 –11% of the country’s forest cover in just 20 years. Deforestation for cooking fuel is destroying ecosystems and causing land degradation, declining soil fertility and reduced soil capacity to retain water.
How does the Nigeria Cookstoves project combat these issues?
The Nigeria Cookstoves project introduces improved cookstoves to urban and peri-urban households and promotes more efficient cooking practices throughout the country. These improved cooking stoves reduce biomass consumption and CO2 emissions, and also the health risks associated with domestic cooking combustion fumes.
The carbon revenues generated by the project subsidise the cost of the cookstoves to between $10 and $20, aiding their distribution among Nigerian households. These revenues cover this upfront subsidy and are also partially reinvested in R&D, manufacturing, and growing distribution networks to reach new communities. Any remaining carbon income is reinvested to strengthen the project’s social impact.
To date, 118,787 improved cooking stoves have been subsidised. Thanks to their improved efficiency, around 9.3mn tonnes of CO2 are expected to be avoided over the project’s lifetime.
What benefits does the project deliver to the environment?
Abatable sourced this project based on Paris 2024’s criteria for its substantial CO2 reduction, its environmental impact, and its social benefits. As the improved cookstove is much more energy efficient, it reduces the biomass demand and helps combat deforestation. Thanks to Nigeria Cookstoves decreasing the demand for wood energy, 558,000 tonnes of wood have already been saved from use as cooking fuel.
By helping to conserve Nigeria’s remaining forests and ecosystems, as well as protecting biodiversity the project also indirectly reduces exposure to erosion and limits the consequences of extreme climatic events.
What benefits does the project bring to local people?
Due to the improved stoves reducing fuel consumption by about 52% compared to traditional stoves, communities benefit from ongoing energy savings. An independent study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Chicago found that families save $96 per year on average in fuel costs through using the stoves.
The cookstoves also reduce smoke emissions and other harmful substances in homes by around 65%. Around 95% of households have experienced perceived improved air quality and, to date, the project has improved air quality for some 420,000 people.
The Nigeria Cookstoves project is bringing women greater autonomy by saving them time that would otherwise be spent gathering wood, burning it and preparing meals. The improved stoves reduce the drudgery of these domestic tasks and enable women to pursue other activities. An estimated 12 million hours of cooking have been saved for women so far by the project.
The project has also created 304 jobs, including 153 for women, and trained 93 skilled workers through education courses aimed at boosting local skills development.
Moreover, the risk of domestic fires and accidents has been cut as traditional, rudimentary cooking methods are replaced with safer technologies.
Peter Scott, CEO of the firm behind the Nigeria Cookstoves project said: ‘Clean cooking projects save lives and forests. Through the GS ID 11671 project in Nigeria, we’ve distributed ~118,000 efficient and affordable clean cooking appliances and positively impacted around 421,000 lives. These stoves have helped women save money and, collectively, around 12 million hours previously spent gathering firewood.’
‘Carbon finance subsidises the cost of clean cooking appliances and increases access to clean cooking solutions across Africa. We are honoured to be at the forefront of this movement, empowering African households and building a net-zero future.’
How the project works to generate carbon credits
Begining life in 2021, the Nigeria Cookstoves project distribution period is set run for five years. Considering the lifespan of the stoves, the project is expected to provide benefits for climate, nature and people for 13 years.
The improved cooking stoves have previously been manufactured in Nairobi, Kenya, then being distributed throughout Nigeria. However, from this year onwards, they are scheduled to be built directly in Nigeria.
The project is certified by Gold Standard (GS ID: GS11671). Annual verifications are carried out by Carbon Check auditors.
How can Abatable’s carbon sourcing tools help you?
The Nigeria Cookstoves project demonstrates how reducing CO2 emissions can bring many other benefits to the environment and local people. By simply replacing traditional cooking practices with more efficient cookstoves, the project is curtailing deforestation, saving families money, improving air quality in homes and providing women with greater autonomy.
Abatable’s advanced carbon sourcing tools and expertise were instrumental in identifying the Nigeria Cookstoves project as a high-impact opportunity. Our rigorous vetting process ensures that we connect our world-leading clients with projects that not only deliver verifiable carbon reductions but also significant co-benefits aligned with their sustainability goals.
Supporting projects such as Nigeria Cookstoves can align with your corporate sustainability goals, ESG criteria, or regulatory compliance. Contact Abatable today to explore how this project or similar high-impact initiatives can become a cornerstone of your corporate sustainability strategy. Our team of experts will guide you through the process of selecting, supporting, and leveraging impactful climate action projects that align with your company’s values and goals.
Contact us to learn more and start implementing your impactful climate strategy today.
Written by climate and energy writer Charlie Bush.
