Firewood shortage: ecoclimatic disasters in the third world

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Abstract
World use of firewood for energy amounts to some 10–12 × 1012 kilowatt hours. Over 95 percent of this total is used in developing countries. In Africa about 60 percent of the total energy consumed comes from firewood, and in the rural sector of India it accounts for about 93 percent. This firewood harvest contributes to deforestation, soil erosion and other factors related to ecoclimatic disasters. Firewood shortage, otherwise known as “the second energy crisis,” is severely affecting the poorer countries of the world. The lack of a suitable alternative fuel, however, means that wood must remain as a major source of domestic energy in the rural sector of the Third World. The best answer to this imbalance of demand and supply is to plant millions of trees; while this concept is simple, its implementation is not, but the solution can come through integrated action and community involvement.

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