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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NEWS: Wood, charcoal, viable energy sources – report

Posted on by Jean Kim Chaix

Combined sources based on the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) report: Bundles of energy: The case for renewable biomass energy New technologies can convert trees to liquid and gaseous fuel 30 per cent of global energy to come from this source by 2050 Developing nations have an untapped resource that would enable them to fight poverty, create jobs, gain energy independence and adapt to climate changes. A report published by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) urges developing nations to take advantage of their dependence on biomass fuels — such as wood and charcoal — and Continue reading→

A fresh start for The Charcoal Project

Posted on by Jean Kim Chaix

The start of the PCIA’s biennial forum in Lima is a great opportunity for us at The Charcoal Project to share our own news. But sharing everything at once would be like drinking from a fire-hose, so we’ll be gentle and use a regular garden hose instead. Immediately, though, it gives us great pleasure to know you are reading this post on our spanking new redesigned site! What do you think? Nice, huh? Congratulations go out to Christina Lutters, our Chief Information Officer for making our site rock! Thanks, Christina! So, what makes us so website-proud are: A cleaner layout: Continue reading→

Energy poverty alleviation: a perspective from Africa’s scientists

Posted on by Jean Kim Chaix

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→