“Many people believe that wood energy is a main driver for deforestation, though deforestation and forest degradation at a global level is rather a consequence of conversion of the forests for agricultural purposes such as large scale productions for pasture, oil palms, soy beans, or for subsistence production,” Florian Steierer, forestry officer of wood energy at the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations.
Fuels
Various types of fuels
NEWS: Tanzania’s burning question: Can REDD succeed amid a charcoal addiction?
Policy discussions around forests and climate change frequently refer to charcoal production as one of the main culprits of deforestation and forest carbon emissions. This is explicitly articulated in the Tanzanian Draft National Strategy for Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) published in January 2011. Future “business as usual” scenarios predict a worsening of the situation.
African economies leaving money on the table with current charcoal policies.
Revelations from Africa:
- Africa must formally recognize its huge charcoal sector.
- Solid biomass fuels could very well be the continents key to producing. homegrown sustainable renewable fuels for domestic and productive energy.
- The negative impact of sky-rocketing food prices on education.
- Energy efficiency and renewables can mitigate the pain of rising food costs.
REDD and the Law of Unintended Consequences
Climate change is likely to adversely affect the poorest people in the developing world. But solutions like REDD could end up hurting them as well.
Yo! Developing nations! Cut the red tape on clean energy investments.
Developing countries must cut the red tape and build capacity if they want a slice of the quarter billion dollar investments that clean energy attracted last year. That, in a nutshell, is the message contained in a UNDP report that shows that 90% of $243 billion invested in 2010 went to G-20 countries (which include China and India). Shaping policies, creating economic incentives, identifying technology, and building domestic capacity for solid biomass fuel efficiency will be hot topics of discussion at the upcoming Symposium & Workshop on Charcoal to be held in Arusha, Tanzania, on June 15th. The event, part Continue reading