Absent in the majority of the speeches we heard at last week’s summit of African Energy Ministers in Johannesburg were references to biomass, either as a renewable fuel with the potential to deliver significant energy for economic growth, or for its contribution to sub-Saharan Africa’s energy balance.
Policy
The Charcoal Project to unveil sustainable charcoal plan to Africa’s Energy Ministers
The Charcoal Project will present a roadmap for sustainable charcoal production and consumption in Africa at a summit of the continent’s Energy Ministers next week in Johannesburg.
Study: Charcoal and patterns of forest degradation in Tanzania
A study presented at the June symposium on charcoal organized in Arusha, Tanzania, finds that,
1. At current rates, no high value timber will be left in Tanzania’s coastal forest in 37 years.
2. The Tanzanian government lost $53 million USD in 2005. This is due to the fact that 96% of the timber harvest was undeclared.
3. China imports 10 times more timber from Tanzania that total declared imports.
VIDEO: The charcoal problem in Tanzania compellingly explained
Dar es Salaam consumes the equivalent of 16 olympic pools in charcoal every day. This figure is increasing daily as rural populations migrate to urban centers. At $350 million per year, charcoal is big business, too.
This great video produced by the World Bank last year (2010) lays out the issue in a way that is well-documented and visually compelling.
Sustainable charcoal production in Africa can protect ecosystems, provide jobs.
The charcoal industry has great potential to contribute to rural development because production utilizes locally available and potentially renewable resources.
The charcoal industry can generate employment and local income in both rural and urban areas.
— Dr. Emmanuel Chidumayo, Zambia.