Alternative Future Pathways for Household Biomass Use in Ethiopia

The document analyzes the reliance of Ethiopian households on traditional biomass, which accounts for approximately 90% of total primary energy use. Using the LEAP model, it compares a baseline scenario with 'moderate shift' and 'high shift' scenarios. The findings indicate that transitioning to improved cookstoves and electricity could reduce biomass demand by 53% to 67% compared to the baseline by 2030, while contributing significantly to national GHG reduction targets.

• Traditional biomass, including wood, charcoal, dung, and agricultural residues, constitutes roughly 90% of total primary energy use in Ethiopia, with 99% of rural and 84% of urban households relying on it as their primary cooking fuel.
• In a baseline scenario where current practices continue, biomass demand is projected to double by 2030 relative to 2010 levels, reaching 2.1 Exajoules (135 million tonnes).
• The 'moderate shift' and 'high shift' scenarios significantly reduce biomass use compared to the baseline, with decreases of 53% and 67% respectively. By 2030, wood demand would drop to 0.98 EJ (63 million tonnes) in the moderate scenario and 0.7 EJ (45 million tonnes) in the high shift scenario.
• Improved cookstoves are the primary driver of wood savings, accounting for approximately 64% of the total savings in the shift scenarios, while fuel-switching accounts for 36%.
• The transition to efficient energy could save between 33 and 44 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent in 2030 from avoided land use change, representing 13% to 18% of Ethiopia's national target to reduce annual GHG emissions by 250 million tonnes by 2030.
• Urban households are more likely to switch to electricity for cooking as GDP grows, while rural households are more likely to adopt improved wood stoves due to the lack of cash for new fuels.

APA

Johnson, F. X., & Mengistu, A. T. (2013). Alternative Future Pathways for Household Biomass Use in Ethiopia. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-DB-2013-Ethiopia-energy-switching.pdf

Chicago

Johnson, Francis X., and Azemeraw Tadesse Mengistu. Alternative Future Pathways for Household Biomass Use in Ethiopia. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2013. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-DB-2013-Ethiopia-energy-switching.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Johnson |first1=Francis X. |last2=Mengistu |first2=Azemeraw Tadesse |title=Alternative Future Pathways for Household Biomass Use in Ethiopia |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2013 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-DB-2013-Ethiopia-energy-switching.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{johnson2013alternative, author = {Johnson, Francis X. and Mengistu, Azemeraw Tadesse}, title = {{Alternative Future Pathways for Household Biomass Use in Ethiopia}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2013}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-DB-2013-Ethiopia-energy-switching.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }