Wood has been used as fuel for millennia, meeting humanity’s basic needs for cooking, boiling water, lighting and heating. Today woodfuel, i.e. firewood and charcoal, accounts for around 10% of global energy supply, but it dominates energy provision in many parts of the developing world. In particular, the inhabitants of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) benefit significantly from woodfuel, with the highest regional per capita consumption of 0.69 m3/year in 2011, 2.5 times higher than the global average of 0.27 m3/year. Over 90% of SSA’s overall population of 852 million and virtually 100% of the 535 million rural residents rely on woodfuel for energy
Publication year
2013
Authors
Language
English
Keywords
charcoal, degradation, forestry
