Sustainable Bioenergy Transitions in Sub-Saharan Africa

This chapter outlines four strategic pathways to transition Sub-Saharan Africa from a high dependence on traditional biomass fuels, such as fuelwood and charcoal, toward modern and sustainable bioenergy to mitigate negative sustainability outcomes and support climate-compatible development.

• The current reliance on traditional biomass fuels, specifically charcoal and fuelwood, in Sub-Saharan Africa leads to significant negative sustainability impacts, including increased vulnerability of rural communities to climate change, deepened poverty, and high environmental costs due to the land use intensity of subsistence farming and traditional biomass.
• The document identifies four critical pathways to facilitate sustainable bioenergy transitions in Sub-Saharan Africa: strengthening the links between Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and bioenergy transitions across multiple sectors; developing context-specific markets and production modes rather than applying lessons from different regions; increasing land productivity for food, energy, and fibre through integrated landscape approaches and local innovation; and enhancing the connection between climate change mitigation and adaptation.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2020). Sustainable Bioenergy Transitions in Sub-Saharan Africa. https://www.sei.org/publications/sustainable-bioenergy-transitions-in-sub-saharan-africa-climate-development/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Sustainable Bioenergy Transitions in Sub-Saharan Africa. 2020. https://www.sei.org/publications/sustainable-bioenergy-transitions-in-sub-saharan-africa-climate-development/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Sustainable Bioenergy Transitions in Sub-Saharan Africa |date=9 October 2020 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/sustainable-bioenergy-transitions-in-sub-saharan-africa-climate-development/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2020sustainable, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Sustainable Bioenergy Transitions in Sub-Saharan Africa}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2020}, month = oct, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/sustainable-bioenergy-transitions-in-sub-saharan-africa-climate-development/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }