Abstract: More than 2 billion people in low- and middle-income countries lack access to clean cooking fuels. Reliance on fuels such as coal and biomass have severe environmental and health repercussions, disproportionately affecting women and children. Despite interventions by governments and international organizations to support transitions to clean cooking fuels, progress has been limited due to various supply- and demand-side challenges. Understanding barriers to and factors facilitating clean energy transitions is essential for improving health and environmental outcomes. This talk will highlight the complexity of this issue and its potential benefits based on insights from a study of household transitions to liquified petroleum gas in rural India.
Speaker's Bio: Dr. Guta has been involved in diverse research projects including bio-energy, bio-economy and food security, the water-energy-food nexus, and other related areas. His empirical research focuses on developing regions: Ethiopia, India, and Chile. His current research emphasizes the analysis of firm productivity in the Canadian forest sector and sustainable aviation fuel.
Dawit has held various academic positions. These include a Postdoctoral Researcher and Teaching Fellow in the Department of Forest Resource Management at the University of British Columbia, an Assistant Professor at the College of Development Studies at Addis Ababa University, a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Development Research at the University of Bonn, and a Lecturer in the Department of Economics at Ambo University.
His current focus is on the welfare and health impacts and economic valuation of energy efficiency interventions and renewable energy projects, as well as transportation, environmental pollution, bio-energy, and climate change.