Reaching strict climate goals could mean that a sizeable number of people will remain dependent on traditional stoves, despite the negative health impacts.
Researchers examined the relationship between climate mitigation policies and clean energy costs in South Asia. They found the most stringent mitigation policies could increase the cost of clean fuel by 38 per cent, leaving as many as 433 million South Asians unable to afford clean energy for cooking.
The authors believe that careful policy design could help compensate for the additional access costs.
Original research paper published in Nature Energy on January 11, 2015.
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