Craig Atkinson

“Widespread use of wood as a household fuel in sub-Saharan Africa will cause ten million premature deaths by 2030 and make a significant contribution to climate change, says a study published in Science today (1 April).

The study predicts that unless African households adopt cleaner, more efficient fuels, the equivalent of 6.7 billion tonnes of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide will be released into the atmosphere by 2050. This represents 5.6 per cent of Africa’s total expected emissions.

In 2000, nearly 470 million tonnes of wood were consumed in sub-Saharan African homes in the form of firewood and charcoal. Per capita, this is more than is used in any other region in the world.”

Perhaps the nearly endless energy of the sun could be better adapted for use in African households. I am interested especially in low-cost innovations that don’t require expensive, manufactured silicon based chips.

My favourite website for news, stories, life and knowledge about the continent is AllAfrica.com and you can find an aggregation of stories about sustainability in a special section.