Charcoal: A Burning Story

Africa is deeply affected by climate change, but its contribution is very limited and often represented by unsustainable actions of individuals that are leading to severe deforestation. Lukwambe is a rural zone in Morogoro district, Tanzania, seriously affected by deforestation mainly because of charcoal production. Charcoal meets 80% of urban housholds’ energy needs in eastern Africa and its demand increases with rapid urbanization, so thus pressure on forests and woodlands, most of which are poorly managed and prone to degradation. In drier areas, where the regenerative capacity is lower, unplanned and unmanaged charcoal production accelerates the process that leads to desertification. Samweli is a charcoal producer, like many others in the region, he and his family rely on the latter for their livelihood. He spends weeks cutting down trees that he burns to produce charcoal; after several weeks of hard work, he will obtain 10 bags of about 30 kg each and will earn only 40 USD by selling all the bags. Unfortunately, Samweli and many others have no other way to make a living for themselves and their families, with the exception of cattle breeding, which also causes deforestation. Despite the importance of charcoal to the livelihoods of millions of Tanzanian households, there is no national policy on how demand can be met in an ecologically and economically sustainable way. This fact, together with the lack of a quality education and of alternative sources of income, leads many people to uncontrolled exploitation of natural resources, such as trees. As a result, most charcoal is produced unsustainably, in small-scale and dispersed, mainly in rural areas. Charcoal trade will not stop. Instead, it will remain the main and, in some cases, the only source of energy for millions of people in the region for a long time to come. The only way forward therefore appears to be a sustainable charcoal production, whose environmental effects include reduction of greenhouse gas accumulation in the atmosphere and reduction of soil erosion.