Experts Seek Progress on Sustainable Wood Energy Sector
The demand for wood, one of the most important renewable energy sources worldwide, is growing with 2.7 billion people dependent on wood energy. In Sub-Saharan Africa, four out five people use wood to prepare their meals or to sterilize water. While promoting sustainable wood energy is a matter of fact in industrialized countries, it remains a challenge in developing countries.
On the invitation of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), GmbH, and the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) around 60 international experts came together in Frankfurt on March 2nd and 3rd to discuss the challenges and opportunities of a modernized wood energy sector in developing countries.
The participants from international organizations, research institutions, and consulting firms in the forestry, energy, and agricultural sector agreed that meeting the growing global demand in a sustainable manner is only possible if incentives beyond promoting alternative sources like LPG or improved cookstoves are created. Incentives have to apply to the full value chain and need to also promote sustainable production (through plantations, sustainable forest management, and reforestation) and marketing aspects, efficient use of wood fuel (e.g through improved cookstoves) and include especially the reform of political and institutional frameworks. Only then can to the Sustainable Development Goals on energy access, forest and climate protection, and improvement of rural livelihoods be achieved.
The documentation of the workshop is uploaded on energypedia.
For further information please contact Cornelia.Ehrlers@giz or Dorothea.Otremba@giz.de