This New York Times article, based on the IEA (International Energy Agency) latest World Energy Outlook, suggests humanity is on the downward slope of the oil availability curve. We’ve often wandered what analogies, if any, existed between the concepts of “peak oil” and “peak biomass.” After all, both the fossil fuel industry and the biomass […]
Peak Oil vs Peak Biomass: Are we there yet? Read More »
By NATHANIAL GRONEWOLD of ClimateWire Published: November 11, 2010 UNITED NATIONS — Annual monetary losses for natural disasters are expected to rise to $185 billion worldwide by the end of the century, even without factoring in the anticipated negative impacts of climate change, a new joint U.N. and World Bank study concludes. With climate change
U.N. and World Bank Report Says Act Now or Pay Much More Later for Climate Disasters Read More »
Kirk Smith, Ph.D., is probably the world’s leading authority on the public health impact of indoor air pollution caused by the incomplete combustion of biomass fuels for cooking and heating. His recent remarks help cast some light on what stakeholders can expect from the recent launch of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves. We’ve borrowed
A Insider’s Perspective on the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves Read More »
This BBC video report focuses on India’s public-private partnership to invest 55 million accelerate the deployment of solar panels for the country’s 450 million people who don’t have access to electricity.
VIDEO: India tackles energy poverty with solar panels Read More »
Speaking Tuesday at a briefing on Capitol Hill, EPA officials said that “black carbon” (BC), an important factor in global warming and major by-product of solid biomass fuel and dirty diesel emissions, would figure prominently in a International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report due out next year. BC emissions can also seriously affect the
IPCC to feature role of Black Carbon in next report Read More »
Dispatches from: Emerging Solutions for the Energy Poor. Technological, Entrepreneurial & Institutional Challenges NOVEMBER 5 and 6, 2010 Wittemyer Courtroom University of Colorado Law School Wolf Law Building 401 UCB, 2450 Kittredge Loop Boulder, CO 80309 USA The 2010 Conference is designed to be a sequel to the 2009 World Energy Justice Conference (WEJC 2009)
This issue of Lost Kittens brings a rich array of content drawn from the bounty of the internet. 1. Firing construction bricks can consume large quantities of woodfuel, especially if the kilns used are inefficiently designed. To address this problem, an architect working in Arabian Peninsula devised a brick-producing process that uses a chemical reactions
Lost Kittens for US Midterm Election Day Read More »
A simple yet poignant story about what lies ahead for some of the world’s most vulnerable people. At The Charcoal Project we don’t normally go for content that strays too far from our editorial mission. However, we decided that Evan Abramson’s short documentary film on the impact of Climate Change on the nomadic tribes that
Video: A powerful look at the impact of CC on E. Africa’s pastoral communities Read More »
Dear all, I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for young NGO that is opening a wood-energy school in the Masai Mara with support from DANIDA (Danish foreign cooperation). They write: “We’re looking for suggestions of how we can get a knowledgeable individual who can lead a baseline study of biomass cooking demands in
Position: Consultant for local biomass cooking demand assessment in Masai Mara. Read More »
Pioneering report equates biodiversity to cash in hope of encouraging conservation By Michael McCarthy, Environment Editor, The Independent, London, UK Thursday, 21 October 2010 Nature and the services it provides are worth trillions of dollars annually to human society, and governments and businesses must formally recognise this to halt the continuing degradation of the natural
Insects £134bn, coral £109bn – UN puts a value on nature’s resources Read More »
Briquette programs that deliver high quality sustainable, alternative solid biofuels exist in major cities in sub-Saharan Africa, but not nearly at the scale necessary to significantly alleviate pressure on the environment from wood and charcoal production. There is clearly lots of room for growth of these types of programs that can create jobs, empower women, and delivering environmental benefits to the larger community. Triple bottom line, anyone?
Rwandan widows and orphans launch breakthrough waste-to-energy program Read More »
If you’re thinking about investing in cookstoves, then this report is for you.
The report informs investors about the market potential of the clean energy industry serving India’s rural Base of the Pyramid (BoP) market, by looking at its opportunities, challenges, and potential paths to growth.
And, remember, India’s only part of the global pie.
You think the poor don’t have what it takes to start an economic wildfire? Think again. Read More »
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