In a world grappling with climate change and its adverse effects on health, innovative solutions are paramount. Ecuador, a South American nation, has taken a pioneering step in this direction. By introducing electric stoves to hundreds of thousands of households, the country is not only reducing its carbon footprint but also witnessing a significant decline in health-related issues. Homes account for around 10% of total greenhouse gas emissions, making the switch to electric stoves one of the greatest ways to improve energy efficiency and reduce pollution.
Scientists from across the world gathered to investigate how the distribution of 750,000 induction stoves in Ecuador affected the local ecology and people’s health. According to recent research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, both greenhouse gas emissions and hospitalization rates were reduced across the country over the program’s first six years.Â
The benefits of switching from gas to electric, particularly when the electric grid is fueled by green energy, were underlined by author Carlos Gould, Ph.D. Ecuador was offered as an example of a country that had experienced such a shift, he said. The Ecuadorian government promoted induction stoves largely to reduce the country’s reliance on liquefied petroleum gas as hydropower generation increased. Scientists assessed the app’s impact on energy usage, pollution, and health.Â
Induction stoves will be standard in 10% of Ecuadorian kitchens by 2021. According to an analysis of 130 million monthly energy bills, power use in residences increased by 5% over this time period, while LPG usage decreased by 7.5%. Hydroelectricity became the dominant power source between 2015 and 2021, contributing to a net 7 percent decrease in greenhouse gas emissions. Dr. Marshall Burke, a co-author of the article, stressed the favorable benefits of decarbonization policies and actions on population health.
According to the study, these advantages may be substantially more than previously anticipated. Researchers also looked at data on 9.6 million hospitalizations in Ecuador from 2012 (before the program began) to March 2020 (when it was fully operational). In locations where an additional 1% of households participated in the program, predicted decreases in hospitalization rates ranged from 0.74 percentage points for all causes and respiratory diseases to 2.11 percentage points for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.Â
As Carlos Gould said, the San Francisco Housing Authority, Boston Housing Authority, and New York City Housing Authority all have ongoing or planned house electrification programs. This team delivers the first complete evaluation of a program of this type, highlighting the initiative’s positive effects on Ecuador’s ecosystems and people. The NIH Common Fund program for Global Health financed this research through the Fogarty International Center’s Clean Cooking Implementation Science Network.Â
