The benefits of action to reduce household air pollution (BAR-HAP) model: A new decision support tool

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245729
• Publication Date: 2021-01-22T22:27:52Z
• Authors: Ipsita Das; Jessica J. Lewis; Ramona Ludolph; Melanie Bertram; Heather Adair-Rohani; Marc Jeuland
• Keywords: Behavior change communication

Cooking with polluting and inefficient fuels technologies is responsible for a large set of global harms, ranging from health time losses among the billions people who are energy poor, to environmental degradation at regional scale. This paper presents new decision-support model–the BAR-HAP Tool–that aimed guiding planning policy interventions accelerate transitions towards cleaner cooking technologies. The conceptual model behind lies in framework costs benefits that holistic comprehensive, allows consideration multiple (subsidies, financing, bans, behavior change communication), realistically accounts partial adoption use improved technology. It incorporates evidence recent efforts characterize relevant parameters determine those benefits, including related intervention effectiveness. Practical aspects tool were modified based on feedback pilot testing workshop multisectoral users Nepal. To demonstrate functionality tool, we present illustrative calculations several context In accounting multifaceted nature issue household air pollution, expected facilitate cross-sector dialogue problem-solving address this major health, environment development challenge.