Sunday Times – February 14, 2010
By Tariq Tahir
NEARLY half the world’s population relies on crude open-fire stoves. They produce hundreds of millions of tones of climate-damaging carbon dioxide and are often lethal to their users. According to the World Health Organisation , a person dies every 20 seconds from illnesses brought on by inhaling the toxins in the soot from wood, animal dung or other detritus that serves as fuel.