Africa’s Burning Issue: Charcoal and the loss of forest

In Africa, an area the size of Switzerland is cleared of forest every year, with an estimated 90% of the wood used for cooking or to heat the home. Dust storms across the continent and on the island of Madagascar have become more serious because, with the forest gone, there is little to hold down the soil. The loss of forest leaves wildlife without a home, and has been shown to affect rain patterns and the spread of desert.

From Net Zero Watch

Geoff Hill is a Zimbabwean writer working across Africa. In this paper, he explains why reliable energy for Africa is the only way to address the problem of deforestation.

“In Africa, an area the size of Switzerland is cleared of forest every year, with an estimated 90% of the wood used for cooking or to heat the home… There is a need for reliable energy, and at a price local people can afford. Without this, the forest will continue to fall and, ultimately, vanish.”