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Solid fuels are still widely used in rural China though the living standard has improved greatly. Energy poverty is an obvious indicator of poverty, which has serious effects on economic development, environment, and health. In this paper, we conducted a detailed analysis on fuel choice and usage behavior of different end-use activities in rural residential energy consumption. Using 717 household observations from micro-survey data in two counties of Shandong and Hebei province in 2016, we find that biomass is the dominant fuel used for cooking among all energy sources despite of obvious decreasing trend in recent years, accounting for 44%. Clean energy used to cook increased markedly with a proportion of nearly 50%. Solar energy is an ordinary fuel used for water heating except for biomass. Almost 90% of households rely on coal for space heating in winter, and one-third of households have space heating for fewer than two months. Ownership of home appliances for basic needs is higher than that for hedonistic needs, and usage behaviors of some appliances are economical. Fuel accessibility of commercial energy have improved noticeably in rural areas, and the high proportion usage of biomass is affected by family income, usage habits, local resources, environmental recognition, education, and age. Since the negative effects of using solid fuels, it is urgent to cleanse biomass, develop new energy, and improve residents' cognition about the consequences of using solid fuels.

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Solid fuels, such as coal, straw, and firewood are wildly used for cooking and heating in China, with the negative side effects of indoor air pollution and residential health problems. This article investigates the current and historical trend of China's disease burden caused by indoor air pollution (IAP) at the provincial level. The Global Burden Disease data set and national/provincial yearbooks are used. The results show the following: (1) In recent years, the burden of disease caused by IAP is decreasing; (2) in all health aspects, eastern coastal regions performed better than inland regions; (3) health risk is extremely severe in Henan, Sichuan, and Guizhou provinces; (4) IAP gives rise to serious diseases, including chronic obstructive respiratory diseases and cerebrovascular diseases. This article discusses the relevant causes and countermeasures.

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