2.1 Bn People Across World Lack Access to Clean Cooking Solutions: Report IEA 2023 estimated that reaching universal access to clean cooking over this decade would require an annual investment of approximately USD 8 billion.

A staggering 2.1 billion people across the world lack access to clean cooking solutions to meet their daily cooking needs, IEA said in a report.

The report based on roadmap for the Brazil G20 Presidency's clean cooking strategy said that despite recent advancements in energy access, the rate of progress lags, jeopardizing the health of millions of households reliant on traditional, polluting cooking methods and hindering the energy transition.

"Under current policies, however, 1.8 billion people will lack access to clean cooking in 2030, according to the latest Tracking SDG 7 report. Much of the progress over the past two decades has occurred in Asia, where over 1 billion people gained access, but still leaves a gap of around 1 billion people," the report added.

The resulting has recommended a set of actions to achieve access to clean cooking services by 2030 and meet the 2050 net-zero emissions target.

In order to hit the key milestones of the G20 Clean Cooking Roadmap, the focus in the near-term is to rapidly provide all households with at least improved and cleaner cookstoves. "Meeting this target is also essential to hit the COP28 target doubling energy efficiency, where clean cooking represents the largest single efficiency gain in sub-Saharan African and other developing economies to 2030," it stated.

It further stated that the strong policy and regulatory frameworks are necessary to accelerate progress on clean cooking, especially to reach the most remote and vulnerable groups.

"Given the nature of the challenge, successful policy frameworks must be multisectoral and address hurdles the market will not address without government intervention," the report said.

These include establishing the conditions for the development of financing instruments, building an ecosystem for market and industry development and consumer affordability support, and developing a knowledge framework.

IEA 2023 estimated that reaching universal access to clean cooking over this decade would require an annual investment of approximately USD 8 billion. It is equivalent to nearly 56 per cent of global public financial flows for supporting clean energy in developing countries.

According to the report, it is critical to promote and prioritize clean cooking operations in the investment pipeline of funds already available for these activities.

"Aligning current public funding sources with clean cooking initiatives will help channel existing resources toward scaling up clean cooking solutions and expand access to underserved populations. Accessing and effectively utilizing climate and development funds are crucial for driving progress," it stated.