Clean cooking projects replace open fires with stoves that burn less fuel, cutting the wood or charcoal used in millions of homes.
How the credits arise
Households that cook on open fires burn more fuel than they need, and the smoke harms health. An improved cookstove burns the same fuel more efficiently, so less wood or charcoal is needed. The reduction in fuel use is the basis for the emissions reduction, and projects measure it through household surveys and stove-use monitoring.
Why measurement is contested
Cookstove projects have been among the most debated in the voluntary market. The main question is whether stoves are used as intended, and whether households go back to open fires or keep using old stoves alongside new ones. Stove-use monitoring, often with sensors that record when a stove is in use, has become the standard way to answer that question.
Co-benefits
Clean cooking projects can bring health benefits from lower indoor smoke, time savings for families who collect fuel, and lower household costs. Buyers often value these benefits, but they should be checked separately from the carbon claim.
Questions to ask before you rely on these credits
- Is stove use monitored, not just stoves distributed?
- Does the methodology account for households that keep using traditional stoves?
- Are health and co-benefit claims supported by independent data?