“Whatever you can do or imagine, begin it; boldness has beauty, magic, and power in it.” – Goethe We were giddy with excitement and full of dreams when we launched The Charcoal Project in late 2009. But the truth is we had no idea what awaited us. Now, almost a year and half later — slightly out of breath from the steep learning curve — we’re happy to report The Charcoal Project is standing on solid ground and is ready to expand the scope of its work. That is why our next few posts will be dedicated to our projects Continue reading
Africa
East Africa, droughts, and the impact on biomass availability
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
Mega-million $ partnership to kickstart clean cookstove deployment in Nigeria
Hi, folks, we received the following communication from Simon Bishop of Shell Foundation: Good morning Shell Foundation is pleased to announce today a new cross-sector partnership that aims to tackle Indoor Air Pollution (IAP) at scale in Nigeria. The partnership between ourselves, Envirofit International (a global clean cookstoves business) and C-Quest Capital (a US-base carbon finance business) aims to deliver two million improved cook-stoves to Nigerian households over the next seven years. It will do this by using carbon credits to make cookstoves more affordable in Nigeria. Clean cookstoves are the most viable solution to IAP – the toxic smoke that Continue reading
KENYA: Despised tree finds new life as woodfuel
Decades ago, the mathenge tree (prosopis juriflora) was introduced to East Africa from South America to combat desertification. But the “law of unintended consequences” turned the experiment into a failure. Now residents of Baringo district in Kenya are finding new uses for this reviled tree species.
Energy poverty alleviation: a perspective from Africa’s scientists
A few facts about energy access and electricity production in Africa: * About 70% of Africans have no access to electricity. * The entire electric capacity of sub-Saharan Africa is 68% that of Spain. * South Africa’s electricity generation accounts for more than half of all SSA capacity. * Commercial users register power outages over 50 times a year, whereas the US standard is one day in ten years. * 80% of the African continent still relies on biomass as cooking fuel. African scientists issue policy recommendations to increase access and generation of electricity Often missing from ambitious global campaigns Continue reading