2012 report discusses gender and other IAP research gaps

3 views
Skip to first unread message

Dan Campbell

unread,
Jan 18, 2012, 10:42:00 AM1/18/12
to indoor-air-pol...@googlegroups.com
Posts made today to WASHplus Indoor Air Pollution Updates, http://blogs.washplus.org/iaqupdates 

Gender equity in access to and benefits from modern energy and improved energy technologies : world development report background paper, 2012.

Clancy, Joy and Winther, Tanja and Matinga, Magi and Oparaocha, Sheila. University of Twente.

There are a number of gaps in the literature.

  • Stove project evaluations in general miss gender analyses. This risks not identifying why stoves –which have obvious benefits of timesaving and reduced indoor air pollution– are either not taken up or are abandoned shortly after a project finishes.
  • There appears to be a tendency to neglect men‟s exposure to IAP due to assuming their absence from women‟s space in the kitchen. It is a cause for concern since impacts on men’s health may go unrecognised and untreated.
  • There are also no empirical there are no empirical studies on the impacts of modern energy or lack of it on the HIV/AIDS-infected population; and none specifically on the connections between gender, energy and major diseases such as malaria.
  • There are very little empirical data comparable with that for IAP about the impacts on women‟s health of daily carrying of heavy loads of biomass, which exceed ILO recommended safety standards, throughout their adult life. We consider that there is a need for epidemiological studies at a comparable level to that for IAP.
  • Somewhat surprisingly, there is very little in the literature that evaluates the role of modern energy in income generation from a gender perspective. The focus has tended to be on women as entrepreneurs and the role of electricity in enterprise stimulation. The evaluation should be broadened to include men and other modern energy sources.

How Will Energy Demand Develop in the Developing World? 2012.

Catherine Wolfram, Orie Shelef, and Paul Gertler. University of California at Berkeley.

Most of the medium‐run growth in energy demand is forecast to come from the developing world, which consumed more total units of energy than the developed world in 2007. We argue that the main driver of the growth is likely to be increased incomes among the poor and near‐poor. We document that as households come out of poverty and join the middle class, they acquire appliances, such as refrigerators, and vehicles for the first time. These new goods require energy to use and energy to manufacture. The current forecasts for energy demand in the developing world may be understated because they do not accurately capture the dramatic increase in demand associated with poverty reduction.

Woodfuel for urban centres in the Democratic Republic of Congo, 2011.

Jolien Schure, Verina Ingram, Jean-Noël Marien, Robert Nasi and Emilien Dubiez. CIFOR

Key points:

  • Policymakers should recognise the size and value of the woodfuel sector and its importance to many people.
  • Harvesters and producers need better access to trees and land to promote better management and reduce conflicts.
  • The tax system for woodfuel should be revised to be transparent and pragmatic.
  • Woodfuel from plantation forests and agroforestry should be favoured over woodfuel from valuable or threatened tree species.
  • More attention should be paid to energy-efficient charcoal kilns and cooking stoves, as well as activities to promote their use.
  • Management options that combine agroforestry, plantations and improving energy efficiency need collaboration from different sectors: energy, forest, land-use planning and agriculture.

World Journal of Environmental Pollution 1 (1): 05-07, 2011

Indoor Air Pollution: A Household Study in the Village Faridpur and Ranchi Colony, Durgapur, Burdwan District, West Bengal

N.K. Mondal, S.K. Saha, J.K. Datta and A. Banerjee/ Department of Environmental Science, The University of Burdwan, Burdwan, West Bengal, India

Respiratory Diseases are public health concern worldwide. The diseases have been associated with air pollution mainly indoor air pollution from solid biomass fuel in developing country. A field study was undertaken to characterize the level of pollutant released from solid bio-fuel burring from the village of rural household and urban household in the area of Durgapur. About 79 % people suffer from respiratory disease by using coal and only 24 % by cow dung. Results of this study suggested an association between respiratory disease and exposure to domestic biomass fuel smoke, but more extensive studies are needed to confirm the association between solid bio-fuel use and respiratory disease.


Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages