6 The Status and Future of Charcoal in the Energy …
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bussei now appearing on the International Union for the Conservation of
Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species (Contu, 2012). In 2017, charcoal from Egypt, one of the world’s top 10 producers (1993–2017), was
mainly exported to Israel, Palestine, Cyprus and Saudi Arabia (Observatory for Economic Complexity [OEC], 2020; Nabukalu & Gieré,
2019).
According to The Forest Trust (2018), over 40% of charcoal in Europe
is derived from Africa. In the United Kingdom, for example, South
Africa, Namibia and Nigeria were among the top 5 contributors to the
87,000 tons of charcoal in the domestic market in 2017, alongside Spain
and Paraguay. However, because Spain also imports a large portion of
its charcoal from Nigeria, it is difficult to determine how much of its
exports to other European countries, e.g. United Kingdom, are secondary
exports, and not produced locally (The Forest Trust, 2018). Along with
South Africa and Namibia, Nigeria has sustained its steady position
as a top supplier to additional European countries, such as Belgium,
France, Poland and Germany, despite increasing pressure on its local
forest resources. In 2017, Nigeria supplied 25% of charcoal on France’s
local market, and 21% of charcoal sold in each Germany and Poland
(WWF, 2018; The Forest Trust, 2018).
Several attempts have been made to estimate both the quantity and the
value of Africa’s charcoal exports. Because of high opacity in the operations of this trade, Africa’s trade of charcoal is not necessarily beneficial
to its people: first, because it depletes forest resources, with difficulty of
tracing its origin, and secondly, the valuation of charcoal does not follow
well-established market rates, which would otherwise pay for pollution as
an externality from its sourcing. The FAO (2019) estimated that Africa
exported a total of 501,619 tons in 2018 alone, a marked increase from
the 53,450 tons exported in 1993. This charcoal was valued at USD
19,153 in 1993 and USD 148,568 in 2018. In 2017 alone, the export
market of wood charcoal was valued at USD 1.16 billion globally (OEC,
2020).
On international markets, the preference, and thus relentless demand
for Africa’s charcoal, despite receding forest and bush densities where it
is sourced, can be attributed primarily to its usefulness as a barbecue
fuel (Bailis, Rujanavech, Dwivedi, Chang, & de Miranda, 2013; WWF,
217
bussei now appearing on the International Union for the Conservation of
Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species (Contu, 2012). In 2017, charcoal from Egypt, one of the world’s top 10 producers (1993–2017), was
mainly exported to Israel, Palestine, Cyprus and Saudi Arabia (Observatory for Economic Complexity [OEC], 2020; Nabukalu & Gieré,
2019).
According to The Forest Trust (2018), over 40% of charcoal in Europe
is derived from Africa. In the United Kingdom, for example, South
Africa, Namibia and Nigeria were among the top 5 contributors to the
87,000 tons of charcoal in the domestic market in 2017, alongside Spain
and Paraguay. However, because Spain also imports a large portion of
its charcoal from Nigeria, it is difficult to determine how much of its
exports to other European countries, e.g. United Kingdom, are secondary
exports, and not produced locally (The Forest Trust, 2018). Along with
South Africa and Namibia, Nigeria has sustained its steady position
as a top supplier to additional European countries, such as Belgium,
France, Poland and Germany, despite increasing pressure on its local
forest resources. In 2017, Nigeria supplied 25% of charcoal on France’s
local market, and 21% of charcoal sold in each Germany and Poland
(WWF, 2018; The Forest Trust, 2018).
Several attempts have been made to estimate both the quantity and the
value of Africa’s charcoal exports. Because of high opacity in the operations of this trade, Africa’s trade of charcoal is not necessarily beneficial
to its people: first, because it depletes forest resources, with difficulty of
tracing its origin, and secondly, the valuation of charcoal does not follow
well-established market rates, which would otherwise pay for pollution as
an externality from its sourcing. The FAO (2019) estimated that Africa
exported a total of 501,619 tons in 2018 alone, a marked increase from
the 53,450 tons exported in 1993. This charcoal was valued at USD
19,153 in 1993 and USD 148,568 in 2018. In 2017 alone, the export
market of wood charcoal was valued at USD 1.16 billion globally (OEC,
2020).
On international markets, the preference, and thus relentless demand
for Africa’s charcoal, despite receding forest and bush densities where it
is sourced, can be attributed primarily to its usefulness as a barbecue
fuel (Bailis, Rujanavech, Dwivedi, Chang, & de Miranda, 2013; WWF,