The carbon footprint of traditional woodfuels

The research estimates that 27–34% of woodfuel harvested in the tropics was unsustainable in 2009, contributing 1.0–1.2 Gt CO2e per year to global emissions. It identifies approximately 275 million people living in depletion 'hotspots' primarily in South Asia and East Africa and suggests that the deployment of 100 million improved stoves could reduce these emissions by 11–17%.

• In 2009, between 27% and 34% of harvested woodfuel was unsustainable, though this varied significantly by geography. These figures are lower than those used by carbon offset projects, which the authors suggest likely overstate the climate benefits of improved stoves.
• Woodfuel emissions are estimated at 1.0–1.2 Gt CO2e per year, representing 1.9–2.3% of global emissions. Approximately 275 million people reside in woodfuel depletion 'hotspots', which are concentrated in East Africa and South Asia.
• The use of 100 million improved stoves could lower woodfuel emissions by 11–17%. If black carbon were included in carbon markets at a price of US$11 per tCO2e, these reductions would be valued at more than US$1 billion annually.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2015). The carbon footprint of traditional woodfuels. https://www.sei.org/publications/the-carbon-footprint-of-traditional-woodfuels/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. The carbon footprint of traditional woodfuels. 2015. https://www.sei.org/publications/the-carbon-footprint-of-traditional-woodfuels/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=The carbon footprint of traditional woodfuels |date=31 January 2015 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/the-carbon-footprint-of-traditional-woodfuels/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2015carbon, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{The carbon footprint of traditional woodfuels}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2015}, month = jan, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/the-carbon-footprint-of-traditional-woodfuels/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }