One Size Doesn't Fit All: How data can support tailored approaches in public health

Nearly half of the world's population relies on solid biomass to fuel stoves for cooking and heating in low- and middle-income countries. Incomplete combustion of these fuels results in the production of gases and particles that are harmful to human health and the environment. Researchers estimate that cookstove pollution causes 4 million premature deaths each year and contributes to a quarter of black carbon emissions worldwide. As a result, clean cooking has gained increased attention over the years. A number of initiatives are now focused on bringing clean energy access to households and replace the more polluting, rudimentary cookstoves. However, these initiatives have taken traditional philanthropic approaches and as a result have failed. In this talk, we will present an alternative model, which generates clean cooking solutions tailored to local context and driven by data from the ground-up.