Globally, these are the key current facts on gender and energy:

• 70% of the world's poor are women.
• 2.4 billion people rely on traditional biomass for energy. This includes wood, agricultural residues and cowdung.
• 4 out of 5 people do not have access to electricity.
• Women and children are the hardest hit. Mothers in many countries cook with babies strapped to their backs, exposing the infants' lungs to harmful smoke.
• Exposure to indoor air pollution is responsible for nearly 2 million excess deaths, primarily women and children, from cancer, respiratory infections and lung diseases.
• Women in all developing countries spend between 2-9 hours a day collecting fuelwood and fodder and performing cooking chores.
• The opportunity costs of these activities frequently excludes women from undertaking income generating activities, which deprives poor families of much needed income.