Household Benefits of Indoor Air Pollution Control in Developing Countries

摘要

More than 2 billion people worldwide rely on solid fuels--wood, dung, crop residues, or coal and traditional stoves or open fires for cooking, lighting, and, in colder climates, heating. Exposure to the emissions caused by burning these fuels is believed to be responsible for a significant share of the global burden of disease. To achieve wide-spread health improvements, interventions that reduce exposures to indoor air pollution will need to be adopted by large numbers of households in the developing world. Households can be expected to adopt a new technology, such as an improved stove, if the perceived benefits of adoption are greater than the costs. While the physical impacts of adopting an improved stove, such as reduced emissions or improved fuel efficiency, can be observed directly, the value in monetary terms to the household of the physical changes is less evident. Yet it is essential to estimate the monetary values if we are to assess the household-level benefits of potential interventions, compare them to the costs, and thereby understand household incentives to adopt the interventions and identify policies to support adoption.