LPG Gas Key messages

LPG Gas Key messages

In summary, a substantial proportion of current biomass/kerosene users switching to LPG would result in:

1. Significant direct health benefits from substantially reducing exposure to household air pollution from burning of solid fuels and kerosene;

2. A negligible increase in global energy-related CO2 emissions when compared to currently available biomass burning stoves and other fuels, even though LPG is a fossil fuel;

3. A reduction in emissions of other climate active pollutants such as methane, black carbon and organic carbon released by inefficient solid fuel stoves, with the first two species contributing to global warming in the near-term;

4. Less pressure on forests, where wood fuel including charcoal use is harvested non-renewably and contributing to loss of forests;

5. A reduction in women and children’s labour time in fuel collection and cooking where there is dependence on solid fuels, and opening up opportunities for greater engagement with education and the labour market;

6. The opportunity to increase societal benefit from global LPG use, given that LPG is abundant, with a current excess of production over consumption; much is used by industry (e.g. for plastics) or wasted through flaring/venting.

In order to realise these benefits among all of those who stand to gain from a transition to LPG use, national policy and planning need to address the key challenges of supply, regulation, distribution and affordability for the poor. A number of low and middle income countries have shown, and are showing, that this is possible at scale, and this experience can serve as an example for other countries seeking to extend access to and use of LPG.

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