Around 2.3 billion people globally rely on biomass for cooking, contributing to severe health, environmental, and climate challenges, with household air pollution responsible for over 4 million deaths each year. This widespread dependence underscores the urgent need for accurate measurement of biomass consumption and associated emissions. The primary objective of this study is to enhance the understanding of household biomass energy use by quantifying the contributions of woody biomass and crop residues, examining seasonal consumption patterns, and estimating the resultant CO₂e emissions. The study’s novelty lies in its application of a digital, sensor-based system to continuously and accurately monitor biomass consumption across 420 households in Eastern Rwanda, conducted over three agricultural seasons. This approach generates high-resolution, region-specific data on the utilization of firewood, crop residues, and charcoal, while directly linking consumption patterns to CO₂e emissions. The findings indicate that firewood accounts for 86% of the total biomass used for cooking, followed by crop residues at 13% and charcoal at 0.8%. The estimated daily household consumption amounts to 3.1 kg of firewood, 0.47 kg of crop residues, and 0.03 kg of charcoal. The relatively high amount of crop residue suggests a chronic shortage of firewood, despite the intensive tree-planting campaigns. Firewood consumption remained stable during season A (short rainy) and season B (rainy), with a slight decrease in season C (dry). Crop residues decreased steadily from Season A to B, and further to C. The estimated annual CO2e emission from biomass combustion is 1.32 tons per household and 0.48 tons per capita. Digital methods provide precise, time-resolved data on fuel types and consumption, offering valuable insights for energy planning and carbon financing. Future research should integrate PM₂.₅ emissions to better assess health impacts and determine the sustainable balance between using crop residues as fuel and returning them to the soil.
Tag: air pollution
Biomass fuel consumption and indoor air pollution from cooking appliances in refugee settings
Background
Indoor air pollution from reliance on firewood and charcoal remains a major health and environmental challenge in refugee and host communities. Although energy-efficient cooking technologies have the potential to reduce biomass fuel consumption and indoor air pollution, the comparative performance of different technologies under real-household conditions remains limited.
Objective
A study was conducted to quantify household cooking energy consumption and the resulting gas and particle concentrations from selected cooking technologies.
Methods
The study evaluated three cooking stoves: the Three-stone open fire, Lorena, and Traditional metallic stove (TMS), using firewood, charcoal, and briquettes. Eighteen cooking tests measured carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅), fuel consumption, and cooking time.
Results
Firewood enabled the fastest cooking, while briquettes with the Lorena stove required twice the cooking time. The Lorena stove consumed slightly more firewood and substantially more briquettes than the TMS, but was more efficient with charcoal. CO levels when using firewood exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) 1-hour guideline by 61% (Three-stone open fire) and 153% (Lorena), while briquettes remained within limits. Both ambient and cooking-related CO₂ concentrations remained below the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) permissible exposure limit, whereas ambient PM₂.₅ concentrations averaged 28 µg/m³ , exceeding WHO air quality guidelines.
Conclusions
The study found context-dependent performance variations, challenging the assumption that improved cooking technologies are universally effective. Despite reducing cooking-related pollutants, briquettes and the Lorena stove alone cannot address elevated ambient PM₂.₅ levels, highlighting the need for integrated air quality interventions.
Footprints of meteorology and air pollution on rice yield variation in the North Indian Plain; implications of future climate change scenarios
The global food system faces challenges from climate change and air pollution. Here, we examined their effects on rice yield in the North Indian plain (NIP), one of the principal rice-growing areas of the world. Combining satellite-based biophysical data products and spectral indices with soil moisture and fertilizer usage, we mapped high-resolution rice yield indiscriminately for both irrigated and rainfed systems in the NIP during the summer monsoon from 2004 to 2019. The footprints of meteorology and air pollution on the changing patterns of rice yield were isolated through multivariate linear models. The forced components of these models led to the estimation of relative yield change (RYC), the course of which was later simulated for the future climate change scenarios using CMIP6 data up to 2035. The largest effect on rice yield was estimated due to the variability of maximum temperature (−35 kg ha−1 to 212 kg ha−1) in the meteorological model, followed by aerosol loading (−80 kg ha−1 to 7 kg ha−1) in the air pollution model. The analysis of the RYC and its sensitivity using the CMIP6 climate change scenarios (SSP2 and SSP5) shows that among all agroclimatic regions, the Lower Gangetic Plain in the eastern NIP is resilient to the variability of meteorology and air pollution, while other agroclimatic regions – in the central and western NIP – show a remarkable reduction in their projected yields by 2035. The findings have serious implications for the supply chain and may increase pressure on the grain import due to climate change-driven future states of meteorology and air pollution.
Continuity and evolution of ASB – Brazil user needs: report of consultations with stakeholders in Brazil, 24 july to 5 August, 2003
Deforestation in Brazilian Amazon reached one of its highest levels in 2002.Most deforestation took place in the ‘deforestation arc’ along the souther parts of the armazon,bet no area was unaffected by this surge in forest clearing and burning.While nobody expected deforestation to stop,this surge took most people by supprise.Reasons for the spike in burning were often site or state-specific,but pent up demand for cleared land ,the slow return of economic growth,social instability and political uncertainity all seemed to have combined to both increase the demand for cleared land and reduce the expected political and economic cost associated with converting forest to agriculture.Agencies at all levels responsible for monitoring and controling forest conservation and redoubling their efforts to do so, with support from international community. This spike in deforestation,with its anfortunate environmental effects, may provide ASB with a window of opportunity for establishing itself more prominently in the research and policymaking communities in the Amazon region.
Effects of smoke haze on respiratory clinic visits in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia according to different haze characteristics
Background: Smoke haze is a common air-pollution issue in Southeast Asia. Studies have suggested an elevated respiratory risk due to smoke-haze exposure. However, relevant studies have applied different exposure assessments in addressing haze effects and there is no unified definition of haze due to differences in its characteristics by location. The present study aimed to examine the effects of haze on respiratory health outcomes by analysing local fire activity and duration. Methods: Data for daily respiratory visits in Central Kalimantan were collected at local primary healthcare centers (‘puskesmas’) during the period spanning 2015–2019, encompassing two major haze episodes in the region. Particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter <10μm and fire hotspot counts were used to determine haze days, including fire-haze and non-fire-haze days. A space-time-stratified case-crossover design was used through a conditional quasi-Poisson regression model to examine the effects of haze vs. non-haze days in each subdivision, with lags of up to five days, for different haze definitions and durations. Results: The risk of respiratory visits was prominent during haze days but varied by haze characteristics. There was a 36.6% (95% confidence interval: 10.2%, 69.3%) and 74.4% (18.9%, 164.6%) increased risk of respiratory visits in Pulang Pisau Regency during haze and fire haze, respectively. The risk was pronounced when the haze was characterized by longer durations. Conclusion: Our findings suggest inconclusive effects of haze on respiratory visits to primary healthcare centers, although they appeared to be prominent in the area mainly dominated by fire haze. Haze characteristics should be analysed carefully for differences in risk patterns according to location.
Cooking fuels and household air pollution in resource-constrained urban environments: A field assessment
Household air pollution from cooking remains a major public health and climate challenge in low-income urban areas. In Kibera informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya high population density living in poorly ventilated houses, surrounded with poor waste management and use of charcoal in inefficient stoves and kerosene expose people to harmful emissions. This study assessed household energy use, cooking time, and emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from cooking with charcoal, kerosene, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and electricity under real-world conditions, and explored implications for health and climate policy. Participatory cooking tests of breakfast and dinner were conducted in three households that used all four fuel types identified in a household survey. Real-time measurements of CO, CO2, and PM2.5 were taken before, during, and after cooking. Data were analysed using Welch’s ANOVA with Games–Howell post hoc tests. Cooking with any fuel resulted into some household air pollution and charcoal and kerosene produced the highest concentrations of the studied gases and particles. LPG and electricity produced low concentrations and there was no significance difference between the two. The household ambient PM2.5 was 213 μg/m3 implying that people are living in houses with this pollutant being 14.2 times above the 24-h threshold of 15 μg/m3 by World Health Organization guidelines. Hence no fuel switch alone will address household air quality in the informal settlement.
The impacts of oil palm plantations on forests and people in Papua: A case study from Boven Digoel District
Oil palm plantations can be a significant contributor to rural livelihoods in Indonesia. The government seeks to capitalize on this commodity and strengthen Indonesia’s position as the global leader in palm oil production by expanding plantation estates. As the land for new plantation investment in Kalimantan and Sumatra becomes scarce, plantation developers are looking east to acquire land in Papua Province. The rising interest in oil palm plantations in Papua presents potential opportunities but also poses challenges.
Drawing on research findings from Boven Digoel District, one of the key areas for oil palm expansion in Papua, this paper illustrates the dilemma of plantation development in the region by examining the social, economic and environmental impacts.
Plantation development in Boven Digoel District has opened up isolated areas, stimulated the development of infrastructure, generated employment and improved worker incomes. However, the indigenous communities’ reliance on forests for subsistence and their lack of familiarity with oil palm as a cash crop has proven to be a major barrier to effective engagement of the local population. In addition, the decision by the company not to implement an outgrower scheme has led to limited community involvement, rising tensions about land acquisition processes and resentment about low compensation payments.
The development of oil palm plantations has also resulted in deforestation and other negative environmental impacts, such as poor water quality, air pollution and soil erosion. Reducing environmental damage and creating better conditions for the productive engagement of local communities are major challenges for plantation investment in forested frontier regions such as Papua.
The Second Roadmap for ASEAN Cooperation on Transboundary Haze Pollution Control with Means of Implementation
The Roadmap on ASEAN Cooperation towards Transboundary Haze Pollution Control with Means of Implementation (2016-2020) was adopted by the 12th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-12) to the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP), held on 11 August 2016 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Roadmap offered a strategic framework to implement collaborative action to control transboundary haze pollution in ASEAN.
Replicable tools and frameworks for bio-carbon developments in West Africa
This working paper is intended to help countries in West Africa, and local communities and farmers to adopt climate-smart land management practices that enhance carbon sequestration. Abating greenhouse gas emission from land use should not, in the African context, limit a community’s development. Hence, promoting a High Value Biocarbon community of practice should first address the livelihoods of inhabitants through increased socioeconomic development opportunities. The document highlights the importance of interventions like agroforestry in attaining good quality and quantity of products by highlighting the significance of growing fruit and vegetable trees, nitrogen-fixing trees against heavy fertilizer usage, protection of standing biomass, utilization of improved wood energy stoves and land restoration. The substantial amount of information and data required to execute each of the projects are given in detail in this working paper, together with the socioeconomic and environmental benefits, costs incurred, monitoring requirements, proposed management schemes and capacity building. The rates of success of the projects can be measured by conducting carbon inventories, estimating the amount of carbon dioxide emissions released, and carrying out surveys among locals to ascertain the quality and quantity of produce and market values. The challenges and barriers experienced in implementing biocarbon development projects can be addressed by increasing the number of training workshops offered on conducting carbon inventories, bridging the gaps in research and development, increasing access to capital and improving infrastructure development. It is fundamental to ensure progress in these statures to encourage further sustainable farming techniques for the benefit of the environment, society and the economy.
A scoping review on the health effects of smoke haze from vegetation and peatland fires in Southeast Asia: Issues with study approaches and interpretation
Smoke haze due to vegetation and peatland fires in Southeast Asia is a serious public health concern. Several approaches have been applied in previous studies; however, the concepts and interpretations of these approaches are poorly understood. In this scoping review, we addressed issues related to the application of epidemiology (EPI), health burden estimation (HBE), and health risk assessment (HRA) approaches, and discussed the interpretation of findings, and current research gaps. Most studies reported an air quality index exceeding the ‘unhealthy’ level, especially during smoke haze periods. Although smoke haze is a regional issue in Southeast Asia, studies on its related health effects have only been reported from several countries in the region. Each approach revealed increased health effects in a distinct manner: EPI studies reported excess mortality and morbidity during smoke haze compared to non-smoke haze periods; HBE studies estimated approximately 100,000 deaths attributable to smoke haze in the entire Southeast Asia considering all-cause mortality and all age groups, which ranged from 1,064–260,000 for specified mortality cause, age group, study area, and study period; HRA studies quantified potential lifetime cancer and non-cancer risks due to exposure to smoke-related chemicals. Currently, there is a lack of interconnection between these three approaches. The EPI approach requires extensive effort to investigate lifetime health effects, whereas the HRA approach needs to clarify the assumptions in exposure assessments to estimate lifetime health risks. The HBE approach allows the presentation of health impact in different scenarios, however, the risk functions used are derived from EPI studies from other regions. Two recent studies applied a combination of the EPI and HBE approaches to address uncertainty issues due to the selection of risk functions. In conclusion, all approaches revealed potential health risks due to smoke haze. Nonetheless, future studies should consider comparable exposure assessments to allow the integration of the three approaches.