Health implications of cooking energy transition: Evidence from rural China

The transition towards advanced residential energy sources is a pressing priority for many countries. Despite this, solid fuels remain the dominant form of cooking energy for rural households in developing countries. This study investigates the physical and mental health impacts of cooking energy ch...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Lu Yu, Bin Lin, Songqing Jin, Xiaoxi Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2024-01-01
Series:Environmental Research Letters
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad8d6a
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1846153536305364992
author Lu Yu
Bin Lin
Songqing Jin
Xiaoxi Wang
author_facet Lu Yu
Bin Lin
Songqing Jin
Xiaoxi Wang
author_sort Lu Yu
collection DOAJ
description The transition towards advanced residential energy sources is a pressing priority for many countries. Despite this, solid fuels remain the dominant form of cooking energy for rural households in developing countries. This study investigates the physical and mental health impacts of cooking energy choices by using endogenous switching models to address selection bias associated with cooking energy adoption and to distinguish the health impacts of different types of cooking energy. Using country-representative household survey data from rural China, our results indicate that adopting advanced forms of energy, not only enhances physical health in terms of reducing the rates of chronic diseases but also improves mental health. We further delve into the heterogenous impacts of advanced energy adoption across different groups and find that women, old adults, and economically disadvantaged groups are more likely to experience greater mental health benefits compared to their counterparts, while the opposite results are observed for the physical health. Additionally, we differentiate the health impacts by distinguishing between various energy types. This study provides insights for policy making aimed at improving public health and promoting health equality, contributing to efforts towards achieving sustainable development goals by prioritizing clean and efficient residential energy solutions.
format Article
id doaj-art-ba08b54b387543d185bd41eb89e6915b
institution Kabale University
issn 1748-9326
language English
publishDate 2024-01-01
publisher IOP Publishing
record_format Article
series Environmental Research Letters
spelling doaj-art-ba08b54b387543d185bd41eb89e6915b2024-11-26T18:04:09ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262024-01-01191212404810.1088/1748-9326/ad8d6aHealth implications of cooking energy transition: Evidence from rural ChinaLu Yu0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4098-1205Bin Lin1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0074-2330Songqing Jin2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8514-7930Xiaoxi Wang3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2678-9217School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University , Yuhangtang Road 866, 310058 Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China; German Institute of Development and Sustainability , Tulpenfeld 5, 53113 Bonn, GermanyChina Academy for Rural Development, Department of Agricultural Economics and Management, Zhejiang University , Yuhangtang Road 866, 310058 Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China; MAgPIE-China Research Group , 310058 Hangzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaDepartment of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics, Michigan State University , East Lansing, MI 48824, United States of AmericaChina Academy for Rural Development, Department of Agricultural Economics and Management, Zhejiang University , Yuhangtang Road 866, 310058 Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China; MAgPIE-China Research Group , 310058 Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China; Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Member of the Leibniz Association , 14473 Potsdam, Germany; Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford , Oxford OX1 2J, United KingdomThe transition towards advanced residential energy sources is a pressing priority for many countries. Despite this, solid fuels remain the dominant form of cooking energy for rural households in developing countries. This study investigates the physical and mental health impacts of cooking energy choices by using endogenous switching models to address selection bias associated with cooking energy adoption and to distinguish the health impacts of different types of cooking energy. Using country-representative household survey data from rural China, our results indicate that adopting advanced forms of energy, not only enhances physical health in terms of reducing the rates of chronic diseases but also improves mental health. We further delve into the heterogenous impacts of advanced energy adoption across different groups and find that women, old adults, and economically disadvantaged groups are more likely to experience greater mental health benefits compared to their counterparts, while the opposite results are observed for the physical health. Additionally, we differentiate the health impacts by distinguishing between various energy types. This study provides insights for policy making aimed at improving public health and promoting health equality, contributing to efforts towards achieving sustainable development goals by prioritizing clean and efficient residential energy solutions.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad8d6aenergy transitionmental healthphysical healthresidential energy consumptionrural China
spellingShingle Lu Yu
Bin Lin
Songqing Jin
Xiaoxi Wang
Health implications of cooking energy transition: Evidence from rural China
Environmental Research Letters
energy transition
mental health
physical health
residential energy consumption
rural China
title Health implications of cooking energy transition: Evidence from rural China
title_full Health implications of cooking energy transition: Evidence from rural China
title_fullStr Health implications of cooking energy transition: Evidence from rural China
title_full_unstemmed Health implications of cooking energy transition: Evidence from rural China
title_short Health implications of cooking energy transition: Evidence from rural China
title_sort health implications of cooking energy transition evidence from rural china
topic energy transition
mental health
physical health
residential energy consumption
rural China
url https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad8d6a
work_keys_str_mv AT luyu healthimplicationsofcookingenergytransitionevidencefromruralchina
AT binlin healthimplicationsofcookingenergytransitionevidencefromruralchina
AT songqingjin healthimplicationsofcookingenergytransitionevidencefromruralchina
AT xiaoxiwang healthimplicationsofcookingenergytransitionevidencefromruralchina