Transforming household energy practices to reduce climate risks: charcoal use in Lusaka, Zambia

The document examines the link between charcoal use for cooking and heating in Lusaka, Zambia, and the resulting climate risks, including loss of shade trees and increased water runoff. It suggests that reducing charcoal dependence through locally produced improved cookstoves, solar water heating, and electricity tariff restructuring for the poor can mitigate these risks and improve community adaptation to climate change.

• The use of charcoal for household cooking and heating in urban Lusaka creates health and environmental issues and hinders the ability of communities to adapt to climate change. Specifically, charcoal production removes mature trees that provide shade against rising temperatures and prevents surface runoff of fresh water resources.
• Climate change is expected to impact the growth of woodlands that supply charcoal, potentially making the fuel more difficult to access.
• To successfully change energy behavior at scale, the document proposes technical and policy solutions based on household needs, including electricity price restructuring to lower tariffs for the poor, simple solar water heating devices, and locally produced improved cookstoves that resemble existing mbaula stoves.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2013). Transforming household energy practices to reduce climate risks: charcoal use in Lusaka, Zambia. https://www.sei.org/publications/transforming-household-energy-practices-to-reduce-climate-risks-charcoal-use-in-lusaka-zambia/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Transforming household energy practices to reduce climate risks: charcoal use in Lusaka, Zambia. 2013. https://www.sei.org/publications/transforming-household-energy-practices-to-reduce-climate-risks-charcoal-use-in-lusaka-zambia/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Transforming household energy practices to reduce climate risks: charcoal use in Lusaka, Zambia |date=12 March 2013 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/transforming-household-energy-practices-to-reduce-climate-risks-charcoal-use-in-lusaka-zambia/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2013transforming, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Transforming household energy practices to reduce climate risks: charcoal use in Lusaka, Zambia}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2013}, month = mar, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/transforming-household-energy-practices-to-reduce-climate-risks-charcoal-use-in-lusaka-zambia/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }