The horrendous destruction visited on Haiti last week has sparked a torrent of compassion from around the world. Even the bioenergy community has turned out to support the relief effort. But when the relief agencies move on to the next crisis and the last US marine has returned home, Haiti will still be an impoverished and broken country suffering the consequences of decades of profound social, economic, and environmental neglect. There is much talk of planning for the long term stability and growth of the nation. But any development aid and growth plans will take time to bear fruit. Even Continue reading
January 2010
Is a charcoal crisis looming for Tanzania?
Tanzania figures prominently when you google the terms “Africa, charcoal, poverty, and environment.” The facts and figures I came across gave me pause. Tanzania burns one million tons of charcoal each year, which amounts to clearing more than 300 hectares (about 750 acres) of forest every day to produce charcoal. For context, that’s about 1,000 sq miles each year or the equivalent of about two New York Cities, including its five boroughs. Unfortunately, the rate of deforestation outstrips the replacement rate by about 3 to 1. That means that, for every acre planted, three are lost. What’s more, the number Continue reading
Endangered gorillas threatened by charcoal trade
In the past decade 150 rangers from the Congolese national wildlife service have been killed in eastern Congo’s five reserves.
Three rangers were wounded in gun battles last summer, but the search and destroy operation dismantled 1,000 kilns — piles of earth and wood as tall as a man in which branches are burnt for days at high heat and pressure to make charcoal. The charcoal produced by each kiln is worth about £600.
Haiti’s environment
The border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic (D.R.) is more than just a political boundary.
It also reflects the large amount of deforestation that has occurred on the Haitian side of the border.
One can easily see from satellite imagery the lush forests still thriving on the D.R. side of the border, which is in sharp contrast to the Haitian side of the border. Continue reading
Is it time to certify charcoal exports?
Some 1.35 million tonnes of charcoal worth about $400 million USD were sold and shipped around the world in 2007.
This means that somewhere, 5.4 million tons of wood where chopped down to make charcoal for export. With the exception of one seller in our research who described his product as coming from a “wild native” forest, none of the other traders indicated the source of their raw material.
The timber industry, retailers, and consumers have embraced certification schemes (FSC, SFI) for timber and finished wood products.
Isn’t it time we considered something similar for the international trade in wood charcoal? Continue reading