Clinton discusses clean cookstove initiative in India

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday "used a visit to India to highlight the damage done to women and children's health in poor countries by poor quality stoves," Agence France-Press reports (7/20). During her visit, Clinton announced that two major Indian trade federations would sign the clean cookstove initiative, which could help spread the concept as well as new cookstove technology, Reuters writes.

"Clinton, who last year launched a $50 million U.S. drive to bring clean cooking stoves to developing countries to cut deaths from smoke inhalation and fight climate change, visited an Indian demonstration site to watch some of the stoves in action," the news service writes. "The women here today represent women all over the world who are by and large the biggest users and victims of cookstoves," Clinton said. "We will work with people around the world to help develop clean cookstoves, help to manufacture them so they are affordable for you to buy them," she added (Quinn, 7/20).