Those hunting for a redeeming outcome to Copenhagen point to REDD, the Reduced Emissions through Avoided Deforestation and Degradation plan, which offers financial incentives to forest-rich, developing countries in the tropical belt in exchange for their long term commitment to protect and restore their forested lands.
It appears that the decision by the delegates to move forward on REDD — coupled with the U.S. pledge of $1 billion as part of a $3.5 billion scheme towards slowing deforestation — offers a ray of hope for economically destitute, but forest-rich countries.
The prospect of increased attention paid to forests in developing countries has made us wonder about some of the possible and unanticipated outcomes. Alhough we’ve blogged about this before, we didn’t touch on the commercial implications for charcoal exporting nations. So we decided to undertake a thoroughly unscientific research of this issue on the internet and this it what came up:
Squeezing Charcoal out of REDD
A survey of charcoal for sale on the international market reveals it is widely available in large quantities for export. For reasons I don’t quite understand the main traders appear to be located in Nigeria and Egypt, although China, Thailand, Brazil, Ghana, Cameroon, Mexico, and Argentina also figure prominently. The wood charcoal offered for sale are mostly described as coming from hardwoods, although a Thai trader was also offering mangrove-sourced wood.
Among the species for sale were Africa ebony, Africa Blackwood, Teak, Mahogany (see ad above) Casuarina from Egypt, acacia from India, unspecified hardwoods from China, oak and mesquite from Mexico, and something called quebracho blanco from Argentina.
Most traders described their wood suitable for barbecues but also for fueling pig iron smelters. The minimum order consisted of two 40ft containers, which, according to Wikipedia, can hold approximately 20,800 kg (46,000 lbs. US) per container. Internet wholesalers were offering a steady supply up to 300 tons per month. Using this back of napkin calculations comes out to about 15 40-ft shipping containers.
In terms of global volume of charcoal exported, the UN’s FAO reports that in 2007, some 1.35 million tonnes of charcoal worth about $400 million USD were shipped around the world. The price of a ton of charcoal seems to vary depending on type and source and terms of sale. But in general it seems to hover around $300 per ton. With the exception of one seller who described his product as coming from a “wild native” forest, none of the other traders indicated the source of their raw material.
The Disclaimer
As far as I know there is absolutely no indication of any type of irregular or illegal activity. Additionally, there was a fair amount of coconut-based charcoal on offer. But, given the volumes of wood charcoal being discussed, I think it is fair to ask where the supply chain of charcoal vendors sources their wood, especially when they originate in countries with known woodfuel and charcoal shortage problems. Under these circumstances, couldn’t the case be made for a certification program, similar to FSC or SFI, that would apply to charcoal? Or perhaps some type of tariff and trade protocol for the international commerce in wood charcoal and woodfuels?
The Persisting Doubt
Assuming an efficiency ratio of 25% for wood to charcoal conversion, the global export market in charcoal represents approximately 5,400,000 tons of wood chopped down somewhere by someone. (Does anyone know how many tons of wood alone are consumed each year as biomass fuel?)
The questions I ask myself go something like this: is this an issue at all? Where is this wood coming from? What impact is it having locally on the charcoal and woodfuel market? Does the international charcoal market need some type of regulation? Will REDD payments to countries go to subsidize the production of charcoal elsewhere for the global charcoal market? What measures are contemplated in a draft REDD accord to deal with this? And, finally, who is going to take this on as an issue?
Kim
Addendum:
I did find one document issued by the World Agroforestry Centre in 2006 titled Lessons Learned from the Unsustainable Charcoal Business in East Africa. It states the problem and solutions for the region. Read more.
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Hi,
Firstly congratulations you on a great website!
i just wanted to draw your attention to the situation in Brazil regarding charcoal production which might be of interest to the charcoal project.
I have placed a link here but not sure if thats acceptable to you. No problem if not.
http://www.cop15brasil.gov.br/en-US/?page=noticias/green-steel-for-the-brazilian-steel-industry
As part of Brazils carbon emissions reduction programme, the goverment in enacting into law the use of charcoal for the steel industry ( the charcoal is used in the smelting process) as a replacement to the fossil fuels used (heavy carbon coals) previously.
The case for plantation grown charcoal is gathering momentum… the forestry abosrbs vast amounts of CO2 before it is harvested after 7 years. Sustainable, managed plantations are being used to protect Brazils natural forests( with excellent results) and the use of eucalyptus, as a fast growing tree species, seems almost certain to become increasingly prevalent. Much is said about the monocultural aspect of forestry and I must confess to having a strong view on this, since I am unaware of a better option to keep out natural forests intact whilst providing the world the commodities it needs
I think it is time Ghana certify the export of charcoal and as well come out with strategies to sustainable commercial charcoal production in our rural areas since it is a means of livelihood to the rural dwellers (especially Northerners). Charcoal production is also capable of reducing poverty in the production areas.