Small technologies make a big difference: Alleviating energy poverty to improve air quality
- Mỹ Huyền Trần
- Oct 3, 2025
- 2 min read
Latest research article by Dr. Nguyen Phuc Canh, HAPRI's Senior Researcher.
Air pollution is the world’s leading environmental health risk, claiming around 7 million lives annually. While industry and transport often take the blame, a quieter but critical source is closer to home: household cooking. Nearly 3 billion people worldwide still rely on wood, biomass, or other polluting fuels, exposing themselves to severe health risks and contributing significantly to air pollution.
This raises an important question: Could alleviating energy poverty be a cost-effective way to fight air pollution?
Access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking and air pollution.
Channels of Impact
Households trapped in energy poverty often rely on biomass, charcoal, or kerosene. These fuels release harmful fine particulates (PM2.5, PM10) and carbon monoxide, deteriorating both indoor and outdoor air quality. By contrast, clean fuels (such as LPG or electricity) and improved stoves reduce emissions dramatically.
Access to such technologies does not only improve health outcomes but also lessens pressure on forests (reducing deforestation) and increases household productivity, creating a virtuous cycle of development.
Key Findings
Drawing on data from 84 low- and middle-income countries between 2010 and 2019, our study shows:
Energy poverty alleviation reduces air pollution: A 10 percentage-point increase in access to clean fuels cuts the air pollution index by about 1 point.
Rural households matter most: The benefits are particularly strong in rural areas, where reliance on wood and biomass is highest. In urban areas, industrial and transport emissions tend to overshadow household-level improvements.
Institutions and finance amplify the benefits: Countries with stronger governance, better financial systems, and higher internet usage see greater pollution reduction from the same improvements in household energy access.
Evidence is robust: Even after controlling for economic growth and trade, and using World Bank’s IDA thresholds as an instrument, the results remain consistent.
Policy Implications
The findings highlight a clear message: small technologies can make a big difference.
Invest in clean cooking solutions - subsidies, tax exemptions, or concessional loans for households to adopt LPG, solar, or electric stoves.
Target rural populations, where both energy poverty and potential gains are highest.
Strengthen institutions and finance, clean energy adoption is more effective in countries with sound governance, functioning credit markets, and digital access.
Integrate with broader strategies, household-level action should complement, not replace, efforts to regulate industrial and transport emissions.
Keywords:
Energy poverty
Clean fuels
Clean technologies
Air pollution
Link:
Citation:
Nguyen, C. P., Doan, N., & Doan, H. (2025). Small technologies make a big difference: Alleviating energy poverty to improve air quality. Technology in Society, 82, 102935.
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