An article in the New York Times discusses innovation in simple cookstoves, which aims to dramatically increase their efficiency and decrease their output of carbon dioxide and black heat-absorbing soot.
“It’s hard to believe that this is what’s melting the glaciers,” said Dr. Veerabhadran Ramanathan, one of the world’s leading climate scientists, as he weaved through a warren of mud brick huts, each containing a mud cookstove pouring soot into the atmosphere.
Soot is also known to have a dramatic effect on health:
Doctors have long railed against black carbon for its devastating health effects in poor countries. The combination of health and environmental benefits means that reducing soot provides a “very big bang for your buck,” said Erika Rosenthal, a senior lawyer at Earth Justice, a Washington organization.