From: "Kevin Adair" <kevin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Dear Colbett List,
I have attached the sources for the statistics that I quote. I have
personally explored many of the issues, so I have personal experience that
further supports the positions that I state.
I greatly respect the work and the writings of Zach Lea. Zach and I have
had several discussions on the issues of charcoal in Haiti. We have also
had the opportunity to demonstrate our stove and briquette system for Zach.
I am opening up the discussion because, I think that is the purpose of this
type of list.
Zach has said:
Without charcoal Haiti would be much more dependent on internationals:
charcoal supplies 75% of energy used in Haiti. Misinformed policy holds
that charcoal is responsible for the deforestation. Not true.
Deforestation is caused by farmers clearing land for farming, often
planting erosive crops such as corn and beans on mountainsides
inappropriate for such crops.
I respond:
There are many causes of deforestation in Haiti, and charcoal is certainly
one of them. Farming is another factor as well. I agree that the 75% of
Haitian energy must be replaces with an alternative, more efficient,
domestic biomass fuel. That is why we have developed the FdS briquettes and
stoves to create an improved domestic cooking system. Where LPG replaces
the fuel, but does not replace the jobs, the FdS system is 100% domestic in
Haiti and replaces charcoal jobs approximately 1:1.
Zach states:
When trees are cut for charcoal, the roots are left and the land is not
plowed. Mesquite forests, Kasya, and Neem are repeatedly cut for charcoal
because the trees coppice (re-sprout) and can be cut again in several
years.
I respond:
There are locations in Haiti where charcoal is repeatedly harvested over a
5 year regrowth sequence. However, charcoal production wastes 90% of the
original wood in order to make the final fuel. This can never be
sustainable. Our fuel system has efficiency of at least 95%, we also use
materials that would otherwise be wasted, including paper and cardboard.
With those wastes considered, our fuel-to-wood ratio is actually well over
100%, rather than 10% with charcoal.
According to USAID, most of the charcoal used in Haiti is actually smuggled
illegally from the Dominican Republic. When charcoal is stolen from
Dominican protected border lands, it is not sustainably harvested, they cut
down the whole tree, because they don't intend to come back. The majority
of Haitian charcoal is thus not sustainably harvested, and a primarily
illegal business. Also, any efficiency achieved in charcoal production will
always be wasteful because the fire used to produce the charcoal should
actually be used to cook the food.
Zach refers to the high use-rates and high production rates in Haiti as the
"Gorilla in the Room." I respectfully respond that everyone knows that
Haitians use huge amounts of charcoal annually. Published estimates are
400,000 to 500,000 tons per year. That results in the destruction of 4 to 5
million tons of wood on the island every year. In my opinion, the real
Gorilla in the Room regarding charcoal is the health issues. Our stoves are
designed with a chimney to remove as much soot as possible from the cooking
environment. The statistics in the enclosed paper, from multiple sources
state that charcoal use is killing Haitians, especially women and children.
The recent PBS broadcast was generally positive on the health benefits of
switching to improved cookstoves:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/can-cleaner-cookstove-save-lives/
Thank you again for the opportunity to discuss these issues in this forum.
Kevin Adair
www.elfuegodelsol.com
Now writing and publishing the book: *Listen. Lead. Listen Again.*
about the lessons I've learned in Development in the DR and Haiti:
www.patreon.com/kevadair
Available at one of these phone numbers anytime.
When I'm in Haiti: +509 3444 0200
When I'm in the Dom. Rep: (New Number) +1 809 661 2626
When I'm in the US and voicemail: +1 312 925 1626
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