Health Benefits of the Green and Low-Carbon Transition of Rural Household Energy Use: Research Progress and Prospects

Abstract

The green and low-carbon transition of rural household energy use sits at the intersection of China’s “dual carbon” goals and the Healthy China strategy. Following the evidence chain of “energy transition—household air pollution—population health”, this paper systematically reviews research published in leading Chinese and international journals. The energy ladder hypothesis and the fuel stacking perspective constitute the theoretical foundation of household energy transition. Household air pollution (HAP) from solid fuel use substantially harms respiratory, cardiovascular and overall health, as documented by global burden-of-disease studies and Chinese cohort evidence. Randomized controlled trials and quasi-natural experiments confirm the causal health benefits of clean energy transition. Micro panel evidence based on CHARLS and related data has grown rapidly, yet gaps remain in causal identification, regional representativeness, mechanism testing and heterogeneity analysis, especially for southwestern provinces such as Sichuan. Future research should strengthen causal identification with multi-wave panel data, conduct locally grounded assessments, and advance the monetization of health benefits and policy scenario simulation.