Efficient cooking technologies and water treatment for climate action
Improved Cookstove and Safe Water Programme, Kenya and Nigeria
The project improves basic living conditions where they directly shape everyday life. In Kenya and Nigeria, households gain access to more efficient cooking technologies and safely treated drinking water.
Improved cookstoves replace cooking with charcoal or open fires, while water treatment solutions reduce the need for fuel. As a result, smoke, emissions, and the time and cost burden for households are significantly reduced. A project that demonstrates how clean cooking and safe water can combine climate action with social impact – efficient, practical, and with measurable results.
Technical project data – Improved Cookstoves Uganda (GS447)
Key facts of the cookstove and safe water project at a glance
| Parameter | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Project location | Kenya and Nigeria; nationwide implementation across multiple regions | PoA Design Document (PoA-DD), Section A.2 |
| Project type | Combined programme for the distribution of improved cookstoves and the provision of safe household-level water treatment solutions | PoA-DD, Section A.1 |
| Project standard | Gold Standard for the Global Goals (GS4GG) | Gold Standard Registry |
| Methodology | • Technologies and Practices to Displace Decentralized Thermal Energy Consumption \n• Safe Water Supply (household-level water treatment) | PoA-DD, Methodology Sections |
| Project start | Initial project activities prior to the start of the current crediting period | PoA-DD, Section A.1 |
| Crediting period | Active crediting period under the Gold Standard; PoA-typical and renewable | Gold Standard Registry |
| Project status | Registered and verified Gold Standard project (PoA), active | Gold Standard Registry |
| Technology type – cooking | Improved, non-electric cookstoves for household use | PoA-DD, Technology Description |
| Technology type – water | Household-based water treatment solutions (e.g. filtration or disinfection) | PoA-DD, Technology Description |
| Fuel type (cooking) | Charcoal and other solid biomass | PoA-DD |
| Water impact mechanism | Avoidance of boiling drinking water, resulting in reduced fuel consumption | PoA-DD |
| Technology lifetime | Multi-year operational lifetime depending on technology and component | PoA-DD |
| Main impact mechanism | Reduced consumption of non-renewable biomass (cooking) \n• Avoidance of fuel use for water treatment | PoA-DD, Impact Sections |
| Emission reductions | Emission reductions from cooking and water treatment, depending on implemented CPA activities | Monitoring Reports |
| Monitoring & verification | Regular usage surveys, field inspections, and independent verification | Monitoring Reports |
| Carbon Credit Rating | No external carbon credit rating currently assigned | Gold Standard Registry |
| Carbon Credit Rating Type | No project-specific assessment by independent rating agencies published | – |
| Article 6 Authorization (Paris Agreement) | No authorization under Article 6 indicated | Gold Standard Registry |
| CCP Status (ICVCM) | No Core Carbon Principles (CCP) classification has been published | ICVCM / project information |
| Handling of Double Counting Risks | Emission reductions are uniquely assigned and registered in accordance with Gold Standard rules | Gold Standard Rules |
| Longevity of Emission Reductions | Emission reductions occur over the lifetime of the cookstoves and water treatment systems; continued impact through ongoing distribution | Project design & monitoring reports |
| Additionality | Implementation and scaling of the programme are economically viable only through revenues from the carbon market | Gold Standard additionality assessment |
What the project can contribute
Here we summarize what the project is actually intended to achieve and which practical improvements it can enable.
- 1
Clean cooking and safe water instead of open fires
In Kenya and Nigeria, improved cookstoves replace cooking with open fires or inefficient charcoal stoves. In addition, water treatment solutions provide access to safe drinking water without the need to boil it. As a result, fuel consumption and emissions are significantly reduced – a measurable contribution to emission reductions in households that have so far relied heavily on traditional biomass use.
- 2
Reducing everyday burdens
More efficient cookstoves shorten cooking times and significantly reduce the need for charcoal. At the same time, the additional fuel required for boiling drinking water is no longer needed. Households save time and money, and the daily effort required to procure fuel is substantially reduced.
- 3
Promoting sustainable use of biomass
By lowering the consumption of non-renewable biomass for cooking and water treatment, the project helps reduce pressure on local wood resources. Lower fuel demand also means less deforestation in the long term and a more sustainable use of existing resources.
- 4
Strengthening local value creation
The project supports local production, distribution, and service networks for cookstoves and water treatment technologies. Investments in training, quality assurance, and market development help build stable structures and strengthen income opportunities and technical know-how at the local level.
- 5
Reducing health and environmental impacts
More efficient combustion and the replacement of open fires lead to significantly less smoke in households. This improves indoor air quality and reduces health risks, particularly for women and children. At the same time, environmental impacts are lower compared to traditional cooking and water treatment methods.
Request information now
Global climate relevance
Emission reductions
Through the use of efficient cookstoves and the elimination of boiling drinking water, significant amounts of greenhouse gas emissions are avoided each year. Emission reductions are primarily achieved through the substantially lower consumption of non-renewable biomass in households. This represents a measurable contribution to emission reductions in a sector that is still largely unregulated but highly climate-relevant.
Reduced fuel consumption
Improved cookstoves require significantly less charcoal than traditional cooking methods. In addition, fuel use for boiling drinking water is eliminated. Without the project, overall household fuel demand would be considerably higher. Lower consumption reduces pressure on natural resources and decreases demand for non-renewable biomass.
Less smoke and combustion-related emissions
More efficient cooking technologies and safe water treatment reduce open fires and inefficient combustion processes. As a result, fewer smoke emissions and pollutants are released into households, while emissions from incomplete combustion are also reduced. The project combines climate action with a tangible reduction in local environmental impacts.
Additionality
The establishment of a combined programme for clean cooking and safe water would not have been possible at this scale without revenues from the climate finance market. Income from carbon credits enables investments in technology distribution, quality assurance, and monitoring. Without this climate financing, the project would have been implemented more slowly, on a smaller scale, or not at all.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – The relevant and the complementary contributions
In addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the project in Kenya and Nigeria generates additional positive effects for households, the environment, and the local economy. In this way, it supports engagement in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The project’s primary contributions relate to SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), and SDG 13 (Climate Action). Other goals are supported in a secondary or complementary manner. Some SDGs are considered marginal contributions that are often cited but tend to have a more indirect impact in practice.
The project enables households to access more efficient cooking technologies. Improved cookstoves replace inefficient open fires and significantly reduce fuel demand.
Contribution: More efficient use of energy for cooking and reduced consumption of non-renewable biomass.Household-level water treatment solutions provide families with access to safe drinking water without the need to boil it.
Contribution: Improved access to clean drinking water and reduced energy use for water treatment.Reduced fuel consumption for cooking and the elimination of boiling drinking water result in significant annual CO₂e savings. The project addresses emissions from the household sector, which has so far been largely unregulated but is highly climate-relevant.
Contribution: Measurable reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through more efficient cooking and water treatment methods.The project supports local manufacturing, distribution, and service networks for cookstoves and water treatment technologies. This creates income opportunities, jobs, and entrepreneurial prospects.
Contribution: Strengthening local value creation and employment in production, distribution, and maintenance.Lower fuel consumption leads to a more conscious use of natural resources. Households require less charcoal and use energy more efficiently.
Contribution: More resource-efficient use of biomass in the household sector.Less smoke from more efficient cooking and access to safe drinking water improve living and health conditions in households.
Contribution: Indirect positive effects on health, particularly for women and children.Reduced consumption of non-renewable biomass can help decrease pressure on forest resources over the long term.
Contribution: Supportive effect, but not a direct nature conservation mechanism.
How CO₂ savings are generated
Clean cookstoves use significantly less fuel than traditional open fires. As a result, less wood, charcoal or other biomass is burned — and this directly reduces CO₂ emissions.
The amount of fuel saved can be measured and forms the basis for CO₂ certificates.
Traditional cooking methods are often inefficient and require large quantities of wood or charcoal. Efficient stoves use heat more effectively, burn more cleanly and reduce cooking time. Every unit of fuel saved results in fewer emissions from combustion.
Depending on the region and the type of fuel used, there are clearly defined emission factors that indicate how much CO₂ is released per kilogram of wood or charcoal.
For each project, calculations determine how much fuel would have been used without the clean stove (the baseline) and how much is actually needed. The difference shows how many emissions have been avoided. These values are verified and regularly updated — and this is what CO₂ certificates are based on.
Context and transparency
This combined project for clean cooking and safe water treatment is registered under the Gold Standard for the Global Goals and is regularly monitored and verified. The reported emission reductions are based on audited monitoring reports and recognised methodologies for calculating greenhouse gas reductions in the household sector.
The project stands as an example of climate action measures in the household sector that combine clean cooking and safe water treatment and are measurable, transparent, and designed for long-term impact.