Solar Cooking – Achieving Sustainable Solutions to Global Challenges
Abstract
Solar thermal cooking technology is an ideal solution to numerous global challenges. Solar cooking allows people to breathe cleaner air, reduces carbon dioxide emissions, conquers waterborne diseases, preserves habitats, increases safety and opportunities for women and children, and protects biodiversity. Since human health, quality of life, and environments are affected by cooking fuel choices, solar cooking offers a solution to the difficult choices many families make every day: whether to buy fuel, or to buy food and meet other family needs. The sun’s free energy is a viable solution for all who live where the sun shines. More than 3.2 million solar cookers have been identified worldwide, and it is estimated those solar cookers have positively impacted over 11.5 million people, saved 16 million tons of wood, and reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 23 million tons. Keywords: solar cooking, emissions, clean air, fuel choices, free energy, habitats, biodiversity, human health, environment