Fact Sheet
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Washington, DC
May 1, 2007

Purpose

The Partnership for Clean Indoor Air is addressing the increased environmental health risk faced by the more than 3 billion people throughout the world- almost half the people on the planet-who burn traditional biomass fuels (e.g. wood, dung, crop residues) and coal indoors for cooking and heating. The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated this issue as one of the four most critical global environmental problems. WHO estimates that 1.6 million people-particularly women and children-die prematurely each year from being exposed to elevated levels of indoor smoke from home cooking and heating practices. These practices are also associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes (e.g., stillbirth and low-weight babies) and may increase by two to six times a young child's risk of serious respiratory infection.

The Partnership for Clean Indoor Air, launched at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, is increasing the use of affordable, reliable, clean, efficient, and safe home cooking and heating practices and to reduce the burden of disease. Partners are contributing their resources and expertise to improve health, livelihood and quality of life by reducing exposure to indoor air pollution, primarily among women and children, from household energy use. The Partnership for Clean Indoor Air is focusing on four priority areas: 1) overcoming social/cultural barriers; 2) supporting the development of local business models and markets for improved cooking and heating techniques; 3) meeting design and performance guidelines for affordable, reliable, clean, efficient, and safe home cooking and heating practices; and 4) demonstrating reduced exposure to indoor air contaminants.

Partners

Countries: Canada, China, Denmark, Ghana, France, India, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, South Africa, United Kingdom, and the United States

Civil Society and Private Industry: APROTECH ASIA, All-China Youth Federation, Appropriate Rural Technology Institute, Aprovecho Research Center, Asia Regional Cookstove Program, Asociacion Hondurena para el Desarollo, Barendra Advancement Integrated Committee, Barendra Advancement Integrated Committee, Baylor University, CEDESOL-BOL, Cascade Medical and Stove Teams, Center for Entrepreneurship in International Health and Development, Center for Sustainable Energy Technology, Centre for Appropriate Technology, Centre for Household Energy and Environment, Centre for Renewable energy and Appropriate Technologies, China Association of Rural Energy Industry, Colorado State University - Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), Development Alternatives, ECOFOGAO Industria de Fogoes, Ltda., East-West Center, Eco, Ltd., Energy Research Centre, Energy Systems, Energy and Development Action, Engineers in Technical and Humanitarian Opportunities of Service, Environment Protection for Rural Development Organization, EnvironmentNEPAL, Foundation for Communication Initiatives, Global Environment and Technology Foundation, Grupo Interdisciplinario de Tecnologia Rural Apropiada A.C., HELPS International, Health Effects Institute, Indian Institute of Technology, Indian Women Scientists' Association, Indian Women Scientists' Association, Integrated Research and Action for Development, Integrated Rural Development Initiatives, Interface Foundation, International Energy Initiative, Iowa State University, Joyline T.M. Tawha, Korean Society for Indoor Environment, LPG Association of Southern Africa, Nedwa, New Dawn Engineering, Planete Bois, Practical Action, Practical Action Bangladesh, Project Gaia, Prolena, Resource Efficient Agricultural Production, Resources for the Future, Rural Energy Development Program, Shell Foundation, Shri Jagdamba Samiti, Solar Cookers International, Solar Household Energy, Inc., Solare Brucke e.v., Stewart Craine, Stokes Consulting Group for Dometic AB, SunSmile, Sunseed Tanzania Trust, Sustainable Energy Africa, Sustainable Harvest International, Sustainable Technology Adaptive Research and Implementation Center, T. R. Miles -- Technical Consultant, Tanzania Traditional Energy Development and Environment Organization, Tezpur University, The Energy and Resources Institute, The Nature Conservancy China Program, Trees, Water and People, USCAM Corporation, University of California at Berkeley, University of Dayton - ETHOS Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Leicester - University of Gondar, University of Liverpool, University of Nairobi, University of Washington, Village Education Resource Center, West Negros College -- Improved Cook Stove Center, Winrock International, Winrock International Nepal, Women for Sustainable Development, World LP Gas Association

International Organizations: Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Regional Programme to Promote Household and Alternative Energies in the Sahel (PREDAS), UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN Environment Programme (UNEP), World Bank, World Health Organization (WHO)

Partnership Targets

• Increase the use of affordable, reliable, clean, efficient, and safe home cooking and heating practices.
• Develop uniform health and exposure assessment and monitoring protocols to be used by Partners to demonstrate reduced levels of indoor smoke that will ultimately lead to improved health.
• Develop broad design and performance guidelines for home cooking and heating practices that can be used by a wide range of organizations throughout the world.
• Develop in-country networks of organizations in high-risk/high-priority countries working on home cooking and heating to share best practices, work together to further each other's goals and to leverage resources to achieve more together than would be possible separately.
• Address social and cultural barriers to changing cooking practices using social marketing approaches.
• Expand household energy activities throughout partnering countries.
• Evaluate and refine approaches (outreach modules, business models, and financing mechanisms) and identify longer-term implementation plans.
• Prioritize long-term sustainability through local market and business development.
• Support the direct exchange within regions of experiences among users/cooks, researchers, entrepreneurs, project implementers, and program directors.
• Reduce the mortality related to indoor air pollution in targeted areas by 50%.

Progress Toward Targets

• Country networks in China, India, Kenya, Mexico, Nepal and Uganda are holding regular meetings to share best practices and lessons learned, and to advance the Partnership's mission.
• Facilitated two "Achieving Environmental Results/Social Marketing Workshops" in 2004 with Partners in India, at which a wide array of stakeholders developed local action plans to overcome social and cultural barriers to changing cooking and lighting practices.
• Organized and facilitated a Design and Performance Guidelines Workshop in Seattle, Washington with over 60 representatives from governments, civil society and industry. Established broad design and performance principles for home cooking and heating practices that can be used by a wide range of organizations throughout the world.
• Organized more than six capacity building workshops with Aprovecho Research Center on design and performance of cook stoves throughout the world. Each of these workshops included presentations on such things as stove design theory, improving heat transfer and combustion efficiency, and material selection, and hands-on experience conducting relevant stove tests (e.g., water boiling, controlled cooking). The result is that stove makers around the world are learning more about how the stove they promote works in comparison to other stoves, how they can improve their stove or how they might begin to introduce a new stove that reduces both indoor air pollution and fuel use.
• Conducted three capacity building workshops with the World Health Organization and the Center for Entrepreneurship in International Health and Development on monitoring indoor air pollution and socioeconomic benefits derived from adopting improved cooking and heating technologies.
• Conducted two regional commercialization workshops with Accenture Development Partnerships which strengthened the capacity of 24 organizations in Latin America and Africa to develop and implement business strategies. Provided one-month field-based business assistance to three non-governmental organizations in Honduras, China and Uganda to develop commercial strategies for their household energy programs.
• Implementing ten pilot projects in Africa, Asia, and Latin America that have already resulted in more than 71,300 interventions reducing indoor air pollution to approximately 300,000 people.

Next Steps

Advocacy and Action: The Partnership will hold its 3rd Biennial Forum in Bangalore, India on March 20 - 23, 2007. More than 100 household energy and health leaders will gather to report on extraordinary results, celebrate breakthrough achievements, and commit to attaining bold future goals to advance to the next stage of reducing indoor air pollution from cooking and heating practices for 3 billion people in developing countries.

Pilot Projects: Many partners are funding and implementing pilot programs around the world designed to increase the use of affordable, reliable, clean, efficient, and safe home cooking and heating practices and to reduce people's exposure to indoor air pollution.

The purpose of the pilots is to:

• Demonstrate effective approaches for increasing the use of clean, reliable, affordable, safe, and efficient home cooking/heating practices.
• Share lessons learned;
• Replicate projects that promote improved cooking and heating practices that are more efficient, meet users' needs, reduce exposure, and can be produced locally; and
• Scale-up effective approaches to begin to reach the many millions of people who are affected by IAP from household energy.

Capacity Building Training: The Partnership will hold two additional regional capacity-building workshops in 2007 focused on monitoring indoor air pollution and socioeconomic benefits of household energy programs. The dates and location of each workshop will be announced in the "PCIA Bulletin," posted on the Partnership website, and Partners in that region will be contacted directly.

Resources

To date the United States Government has committed $2.6 million. Other Partners, including China, Germany, United Kingdom, and the Shell Foundation, among many others, have also pledged funds and resources to support Partnership activities.

USG Primary Points of Contact

BRENDA DOROSKI
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Phone: 202-343-9764
Fax: 202-343-2393
Email: doroski.brenda@epa.gov

JOHN MITCHELL
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Phone: 202-343-9031
Fax: 202-343-2393
Email: mitchell.john@epa.gov

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