Environmental Health and Traditional Fuel Use in Guatemala

There is a growing recognition of the harmful effects of indoor air pollution on health, with recent WHO estimates indicating that indoor smoke from solid fuels causes 1.6 million deaths annually and accounts for 2.7 percent of the global burden of disease. This publication examines the adverse health impacts of indoor air pollution, particularly on children, from fuel use in Guatemala, where the vast majority of poor, rural households use fuelwood as the dominant cooking fuel. It draws on case studies of improved stove programmes to highlight the problem and to explore technical mitigation measures and policy options to improve accessibility to cleaner fuels.