Tech entrepreneur vows to address the humanitarian crisis of energy inequality

Rick Parish, Australian philanthropist and tech entrepreneur, says His Majesty King Charles III’s recent speech has strengthened his commitment to tackling energy inequality and the humanitarian crisis sweeping across the Commonwealth.

The founder of deep-tech company Kinetic7 Technologies – which is headquartered in Abu Dhabi with offices in Italy, Europe, Australia and the United Kingdom – has spoken of his admiration for His Majesty King Charles III’s longstanding commitment to the planet, the environment and humanitarian causes, following the King’s recent address to the US Congress during the royal visit to the United States.

Household air pollution (HAP) is responsible for 3.1 million premature deaths each year, caused by families cooking with wood-burning and inefficient cook stoves. It also plays a significant role in deforestation, increases carbon emissions in the atmosphere, and has a major impact on climate change across Commonwealth countries.

Moved by His Majesty’s trailblazing work on sustainability and climate change through the Sustainable Markets Initiative, The King’s Foundation and The Harmony Project, Parish says he is determined to play his part in addressing the deepening energy inequality crisis in sub-Saharan Africa and other nations across the Commonwealth.

At the heart of that mission is a portable cooking stove developed by Kinetic7, designed to produce clean energy using hydrogen gas on demand for families and schools in Africa. The technology uses water and the sun’s solar power to generate clean gas for cooking and heating.

Parish’s drive to create Kinetic7 was shaped by personal tragedy. Following the death of his 4-year-old son, Elliot, from brain cancer, he says his work and travels in Africa showed him first-hand how many families were cooking on primitive wood-burning stoves. He witnessed young children suffering the effects of indoor air pollution and inhaling toxic fumes. Many children were also dying prematurely from respiratory illnesses, the inhalation of toxic fumes and carbon particulates.

He could clearly see the problems this was causing for families, with women and children becoming sick from air pollution and having to walk up to 10 kilometres a day just to collect firewood. He could also see the direct impact this was having on deforestation and climate change.

This strengthened his determination to make a positive change and “leave the world in a better place” – a mission he feels aligns with the King’s vision of Harmony.

“With Kinetic7, we have not only developed a solution for creating clean, carbon-free hydrogen-on-demand energy, but we can also radically reduce the 3.1 million premature deaths caused each year by household air pollution, while helping reduce the impact of climate change and large-scale deforestation.

“By uniting private-sector philanthropy and diplomacy with non-governmental organisations and partner agencies such as Unicef and the United Nations, we can truly address energy inequality in Africa and other developing nations across the Commonwealth to achieve something truly meaningful,” he says.

As well as developing the Tribe™️ and Nomad™️ portable cooking stoves, Parish has also innovated the world’s first Carbon Free Kitchen (CFK). Designed using a modular shipping container system, the portable kitchen will provide a large-scale carbon-free kitchen using clean hydrogen gas on demand through Kinetic7 technology. The CFK can be used for large groups of people for humanitarian purposes and in schools across Africa.

Each year, 3.1 million premature deaths occur due to the inhalation of toxic smoke and HAP, including many children under 5 in sub-Saharan Africa. Families without access to clean energy often rely on inefficient wood-burning stoves for cooking and heating – a practice that also contributes to deforestation and the climate crisis. More than 200 women a month are subjected to sexual violence and assault as they walk up to 10km a day simply to collect firewood to cook for their families.

Parish adds: “His Majesty, as the former Prince of Wales, was so ahead of his time many years ago on the environment, climate change and deforestation, and nobody was prepared to listen. Only now is the world waking up to his wisdom and philosophy of Harmony, understanding the importance of the symbiotic relationship between mankind and the natural world.”

Main image credit: Dan Kennedy