June 2011

Taken from the NYT Opinion Pages:

“Last year, Eric Reynolds, the co-founder of the outdoor sports gear company Marmot, contacted me with an aggressive business plan for rolling out fuel-efficient, low-pollution cookstoves across Rwanda. Having seen dozens of entrepreneurial projects in Rwanda start with a big bang and then founder for lack of momentum and commitment, I initially brushed off his enthusiasm. I gently explained that he would have to move to Rwanda if he was to get anything done, and he explained that this was exactly his plan.”

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.

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.