Deforestation in Africa is driving up the cost of firewood, and forcing women to go further afield to gather fuel, putting them at greater risk of attacks and assaults. As a result of this, an increasing number of improved cookstove manufacturers and carbon financing organizations from around the world are entering the market seeking to make a difference.
The latest company to launch a project in Africa is Offsetters, a Canadian carbon management solutions provider co-developing a cookstove offset scheme, as reported by CNW.
The article explains how the Offsetters project aims “to distribute thousands of new, clean-burning cookstoves to Ugandan households over the next five years, which will have the equivalent effect of removing approximately 4000 cars from the road for a year.” This carbon-saving is in addition to health benefits that cleaner cookstoves offer to people who are dying simply trying to cook their daily meals.
The Offsetters project is registered under the Gold Standard, which ensures that carbon savings are genuine and that they make tangible contributions to sustainable development. By selling verifiable carbon credits, stove manufacturers can offset the cost of production and distribution of improved cookstoves, making them more affordable to a greater consumer base.
The cookstoves are based on improved combustion efficiency technology. This extra efficiency cuts cooking times in half, while each stove consumes 50% less fuel than traditional cookstoves, resulting in substantial cost savings for Ugandan families.
Interviewed by CNW, Offsetters Founder and CEO James Tansey said; "The results of co-developing such an internationally valuable project that ties into a basic, daily human need to cook and feed oneself, in relation to climate change, are enormous. From reducing environmental impact and potentially improving physical health to reducing wood collecting and cooking time, these cookstoves will change the way the Ugandan people live their lives.”
Read the full story on: Clean cookstove project in Africa has Canadian ties
