The Charcoal Project

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Foreign investment to protect Ghana forest not keeping up w destruction

Posted on by Jean Kim Chaix

NEWS: Indiscriminate felling of trees for firewood and charcoal to either sell or for domestic use is a routine for most locals in Ghana.

At the same time it’s a major contributing factor eating up the forests.

About 69 percent of all urban households use charcoal for cooking and heating and the annual per capita consumption is around 180 kg. The total annual consumption is about 700,000 tons, 30 percent of which is consumed in the capital Accra, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

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Why the UN’s report on the State of the World’s Forest is James Cameron’s worst nightmare.

Posted on by Jean Kim Chaix

The UN year of the forest in 2011 is being launched with a number of reports outlining a positive role for forestry industries and biomass in particular.

The UN’s flagship study, The State of the World’s Forests 2011, paints a healthy picture for energy crop growers, calling for greater industrial integration, increased productivity and the rapid adoption of technological advances.

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NPR: Engineers Hone Clean-Energy Stoves For The World

Posted on by Jean Kim Chaix

Clean cookstoves as covered by National Public Radio in the United States. NPR/February 9th, 2011 By Martin Kaste Almost half the world still cooks its food with solid fuels, such as wood and charcoal. The results are deforestation and black carbon, which contributes to global warming. And smoke-related disease kills an estimated 1.6 million people a year. In war zones, the daily hunt for firewood can present families with terrible dilemmas, says Veronique Barbelet of the World Food Programme. “You hear women in northern Uganda and places like that telling you, ‘My choice is between going out there and collecting Continue reading→

East Africa, droughts, and the impact on biomass availability

Posted on by Jean Kim Chaix

Via Climate Change News, a online publication of EESI (Environmental & Energy Study Institute) New Research Predicts Less Precipitation for East Africa as Global Temperatures Rise On March 4, a study published in Climate Dynamics predicted that droughts common in eastern Africa are likely to continue if global temperatures rise further. Researchers studied temperature, windspeed, and precipitation data over a 20-30 year period to determine what drove climate variations in the tropical Indian and Pacific Ocean regions. They found that the Indian Ocean has warmed exceptionally fast, increasing rainfall over the ocean and the westward movement of air over Eastern Continue reading→

NEWS: Solving the Energy Poverty Problem

Posted on by Jean Kim Chaix

Published online at American for Energy Leadership Solving the Energy Poverty Problem On 02.28.11, In Opinion, By Natalie Relich. In the age of iPhones, Facebook, and Twitter, we have instant access to information and constant means of communication. It is difficult to imagine life without these luxuries, but they are just that, luxuries. For a large portion of the world these technologies are not only a rarity, but an impossibility, as there is no access to electricity. 1.5 billion people do not have access to electricity; 585 million of them living in Sub-Saharan Africa and 404 million in India. Three Continue reading→