Step 1
Read the Article
Read the article to understand the main idea.
記事を読んで、おおよその内容をつかみましょう。
African countries secure $900 million in new clean cooking commitments
African countries have secured $900 million in new financial commitments to expand access to clean cooking technologies, the International Energy Agency, IEA, said on July 9, 2026. These technologies replace fuels that pollute the air with cleaner alternatives. This is added to $2.2 billion from the first Africa Clean Cooking Summit in Paris in 2024. Now the total is more than $3.1 billion..
Nearly 1 billion people in Africa still cannot cook cleanly. They rely on charcoal, firewood and other polluting fuels, which the agency says lead to about 850,000 early deaths each year. Clean cooking means using cleaner fuels and technologies, such as ethanol, biogas and electricity, instead of these traditional fuels. The change reduces harmful air pollution in the home and improves health for millions of African families.
Kenya's president, William Ruto, said money remained the biggest problem in reaching this goal across Africa. "Ambition alone is not enough," he said. "It must be backed by investment."
Fatih Birol, the agency's director, said that 22 African countries have already spent $740 million. The IEA also reported that governments in more than 30 African countries have created 121 new clean cooking policies since the summit.
(AP)
Step 2
Check the Vocabulary and Phrases
Check the following vocabulary and phrases.
以下の単語やフレーズの発音、意味、使い方を確認しましょう。
secure
確保する
to obtain or achieve something, especially when this means using a lot of effort
After months of interviews, he finally secured a job at the company he liked.
何か月もの面接を経て、彼はついに気に入っていた会社での仕事を確保しました。
pollute
汚染する
to add dirty or harmful substances to land, air, water, etc. so that it is no longer pleasant or safe to use
People should not throw trash into the river because it pollutes the water.
川にごみを捨てると水を汚染してしまうので、そうすべきではありません。
alternative
代わりのもの
a thing that you can choose to do or have out of two or more possibilities
If you don't want rice, we can order noodles as an alternative.
ご飯が食べたくなければ、代わりに麺を注文してもいいですよ。
ambition
強い願望
something that you want to do or achieve very much
His biggest ambition is to travel around the world someday.
彼の一番の強い願望は、いつか世界中を旅することです。
investment
投資
the act of putting money into something to make more money or to make it better
Buying good tools was a smart investment for his new business.
良い道具を買ったことは、彼の新しい事業にとって賢い投資でした。
Step 3
Comprehension Questions
Answer the following questions based on the article.
理解度問題に挑戦しましょう。
What kinds of fuels and technologies does clean cooking use?
What does the agency say is one result of using polluting fuels?
Step 4
Discussion
Share your opinions on the following questions.
以下の質問について、自分の考えを述べてみましょう。
How do you usually cook your food at home?
Do you think the air quality in your city or town has changed over the years? Please explain your answer.
What kinds of eco-friendly products have you seen or used, such as reusable bottles or electric cars?
Do you try to do anything in your daily life to protect the environment?
Do you think your country is doing enough to protect the environment? Why or why not?