OPINION I almost cut myself shaving this morning while listening to a BBC News story about The Hartwell Paper, which I’d only heard about en passant. The Hartwell Paper was drafted by a group of academics in an attempt to offer a radically different way of framing the issues raised by climate change, and hence […]
Nathaniel Mulcahy’s speaks with the urgency and precision of someone on a mission and with little time.
Although he has patiently and politely dedicated the better part of an hour to our conversation, I know that the moment he hangs up he will be off to complete a million tasks on his to-do list.
Mulcahy has good reasons to be in a hurry. The first one is that he cheated death seven years ago following a really bad accident, so he’s a man on his second chance.
The second reason, which is linked to the first, is that he is determined to bring energy-efficient cookstoves to the world’s 2.4 billion people who sit at the bottom of the world’s energy ladder. They are the poorest of the poor who lack access to modern fuels and must make do with wood, charcoal, and animal dung to meet their everyday energy needs.
A Man, a Stove, a Mission Read More »
UNITED NATIONs – At least $35 billion to $40 billion of annual investments will be required to link all people in the world with modern forms of energy by 2030, a goal that must be reached while reducing heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions, a U.N. advisory group recommended yesterday.
OPINION – Do the energy poor, especially those who depend on biomass for their primary fuel have to wait until electricity magically arrives in their home before they can get rid of their three-rocks-and-pot that is killing their children, mother, and wives?
This question was actually bravely posed at the UN last week in a closed door Q&A session held after the release of a report called Energy for a Sustainable Future.
The response given was, literally,”nothing.” Nothing is being done for the energy poor until electricity arrives.
UN report Energy for a Sustainable Future is pie in the sky Read More »
So what is this thing they call biochar, you ask?
It’s been described as the Swiss Army knife, or the “killer app” of climate solutions.
Now, leaders of the G20 have a chance to put it on the map!
Hey, World Leader, how about a side of biochar to go with your next meeting? Read More »
One of the startling facts I refer to when discussing the dire biomass situation facing a number of Sub-Saharan countries is Uganda’s announcement last year that the country is set to run out of woodfuel by the end of the decade.
It looks like someone in Germany thinks Uganda’s situation is dire enough.
Take that Greece!
Germany investing in Uganda renewables, including biomass Read More »
By Matthew Berger / WASHINGTON, Apr 26, 2010 (IPS). Against the backdrop of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund’s spring meetings this weekend, numerous groups have chimed in on the need for and direction of a new World Bank energy strategy. (…) The new energy strategy will try to bridge the dangerous gap between increasing energy access and not exacerbating the effects of climate change. As such, energy likely represents one of the most contentious areas of the bank’s lending policy.
MDB: Civil Society Calls on World Bank to Reform its Energy Lending Read More »
A few weeks back, a radio reporter from US-based Public Radio International contacted us to discuss charcoal, woodfuels, and briquettes projects in Haiti. We are pleased to share with you her story. “Before the recent earthquake, Haiti was no stranger to natural disasters. In recent years, thousands of people have been killed by floods and
Recycled trash to fuel Haiti Read More »
First the FT mentioned it. We blogged about it in December. Then CNN’s Anderson Cooper did a piece. Now it’s the BBC’s turn to take a whack a it, albeit with a twist. Whatever the case, I always learn something new from this story. In this case, it’s the alarming statistic that 90 percent of
BBC: Life-saving stove in the Congo Read More »
OPINION
So, to answer the question, “when it’s Earth Day in America is it Earth Day everywhere?”
The answer is, sadly, no.
When it’s Earth Day in America, is it Earth Day everywhere? Read More »
Tracking the price of charcoal within a country or region can provide valuable insight for researchers and entrepreneurs. Such information could help inform the pricing of briquettes, the relative cost of biomass in a region, and much more. In a few days we will post a section on our website’s homepage where you can track
New feature: Charcoal Price around the world Read More »
Addressing today the newly minted Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA), Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced a series of promising initiatives. Not surprisingly, the one that really grabbed our attention was the following: Advancing Sustainable Biomass Energy: The U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are inviting interested countries
Encouraging partnership on sustainable biomass for Latin America Read More »
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