Health and Climate Benefits of Energy Intervention Programs in Rural China: Ensuring Data Quality and Evaluating Technology Adoption

Household air pollution from combustion of solid fuels (e.g .. biomass and coal) for cooking and heating is the fourth leading contributor to the global burden of disease (Lim et al” 2012), and significantly contributes to regional climate warming. Evidence has pointed to the joint health and environmental benefits of energy intervention programs; however. little about the magnitude of these benefits is known. A joint collaboration led by six principal investigators from four different countries seeks to measure the air quality, climate and cardiovascular benefits of an existing energy intervention program in the Tibetan plateau that replaces traditional biomass cookstoves with improved technologies. The student will ensure data quality during the start of this large-scale study through quality control and assurance procedures. Additionally, the student will

conduct an ancillary study on the factors affecting energy use behavior to evaluate the ability of the improved stove technologies to successfully integrate into rural communities,

Faculty Supervisor:

Jill Baumgartner

Student:

Partner:

Tsinghua University

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Education

University:

McGill University

Program: