Traditional Energy Discourse: Situation Analysis of Urban Fuelwood Sourcing in Northern Nigeria

Type Journal Article - Resources and Environment
Title Traditional Energy Discourse: Situation Analysis of Urban Fuelwood Sourcing in Northern Nigeria
Author(s)
Volume 5
Issue 6
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2015
Page numbers 192-199
URL http://article.sapub.org/10.5923.j.re.20150506.03.html
Abstract
The International Energy Agency (IEA) in 2014 [1] noted that addressing the global energy poverty challenge will require concerted effort if the needs of the world’s 2.7 billion people who rely on traditional biomass for cooking are to be met.Despite this high dependency on traditional energy, particularly in the developing countries, their strategies of urban fuelwood sourcing, in recent times, are not substantially reported. This may not be unconnected with the fact that they do not seems to be considered as part of the complex energy issues of these regions. It is important for these to be monitored particularly in countries like Nigeria, where more than 130 million of its estimated 170 million people depend on fuelwood for cooking. This study contributes to the ongoing discourse on energy trilemma. The study examines an urban commercial fuelwood sourcing using participant observations in a case study area in northern Nigeria. The study finds that the activities of commercial fuelwood sourcing are highly organised but unsustainable. The study concludes that there is the need for policy makers to swiftly intervene by providing alternatives in order to protect the remnants woodlands from the aggressiveness of the fuelwood collectors who solely depend on the business for their livelihood.

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