Charcoal demand: Old habits die hard

What you need to know:

Between 372,000 and 582,000 hectares of forests are lost every year. Primary drivers of forest loss include cropland expansion, charcoal making, fuel wood harvesting and clearing for pasture.

“There is still a notion that gas is not safe, that’s why some people avoid it. They also believe charcoal is cheaper than gas and that it is easily accessible. You find it on streets and that a container can cost as little as Sh500.” He believes that to discourage charcoal use, prices of alternative energy sources should fall drastically. However, he is glad that a number of people have been designing alternative ways of using cheap energy sources to support government efforts of reducing the use of charcoal. “People are increasingly becoming aware of the environment-friendly energy. Entrepreneurship in energy has increased significantly while the market for alternative energy is expanding and prices are relatively different from those of other energy sources,” he said. “The indication is good. Some entrepreneurs supply alternative energy sources to public and private institutions. They are doing so even in refugee and military camps.”

Charcoal demand: Old habits die hard

What you need to know:

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