{"id":284943,"date":"2023-10-25T11:28:39","date_gmt":"2023-10-25T09:28:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=284943"},"modified":"2023-10-25T11:28:42","modified_gmt":"2023-10-25T09:28:42","slug":"70-of-africas-forest-is-gone-without-affordable-energy-it-will-vanish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=284943","title":{"rendered":"70% of Africa\u2019s forest is gone. Without affordable energy it will vanish"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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In 2023, charcoal and firewood remain the dominant fuel for many households in Africa. Rapid population growth has seen an exponential rise in demand. Trees are not being cut down by people who don\u2019t
care about the environment, but by those with few alternatives.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From Net Zero Watch<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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London, 24 October: Net Zero Watch is today publishing two important new papers on African energy needs and the disastrous implications of energy poverty. Written by Zimbabwean journalist Geoff Hill, the two publications were launched in Parliament yesterday evening.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

70% of Africa\u2019s forest has been cut down and the rest is falling fast. 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 heating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Linked to this, on a continent that\u2019s home to the Nile, Zambezi and Congo rivers, why do hundreds of millions struggle for water? Even where plumbing exists, often the dams are full but the pipes are dry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both problems stem from a lack of electricity: Trees are cut for charcoal and water can\u2019t be pumped to a reservoir. In two powerful new papers, Hill looks at not only the causes, but ways the UK could help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking in the House of Lords, Hill said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWith the Internet, people everywhere have the same expectations. Electricity, water on tap and the lifestyle we see on television. There is no room for an \u2018us and them\u2019 mentality among donor nations. Expectations are largely equal, no matter where you live.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Paper 1:\u00a0Africa\u2019s burning issue: charcoal and the loss of forest (pdf)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n