Gazans turns to firewood as energy prices soar
GazaReuters In one of Gaza City’s oldest suburbs, Saadeya al-Malaha collects dry branches she finds by the side of the roads, then carefully balances the pile on her head and carries it home to light a fire and cook for her two children. With winters growing harsher, gas prices climbing and regular power cuts, Palestinians […]
With fuel scarce, Yemen’s forests are next casualty of war
Khamis Banisaad, YemenReuters Yemeni lumberjack Ali al-Emadi spends hours chopping down an acacia tree with an axe as his 12-year-old nephew helps out splitting logs. In a country blighted by war, Emadi had to turn to logging in his northern al-Mahweet region to eke out a living. An economic collapse has wiped out the farming […]
Kenya vows to cut emissions as dirty stoves and fuels kill 21,500 a year
Nairobi, KenyaThomson Reuters Foundation More than 21,500 Kenyans die each year from cooking with traditional fuels like charcoal and firewood, new government data showed on Tuesday, as authorities pledged to meet a global goal of universal access to clean cooking energy by 2030. The health risks were greatest in rural areas, where 90 per cent […]
As fuel prices rise, firewood rustlers vex rural Kenya
Muiru, KenyaThomson Reuters Foundation Lucy Muthoni has never liked dogs. But these days, a pair of mean-looking hounds tail her as she makes the rounds at her farm in central Kenya. The reason for her shift in attitude is an unusual crime wave sweeping through villages in rural Kenya: firewood theft. Eric Mutwiri, a resident […]
Plant trees in refugee camps to stop forest loss and conflict, UN says
Thomson Reuters Foundation With a record 69 million people driven from their homes by war and persecution, the United Nations this week urged countries hosting large numbers of refugees to plant more trees as deforestation risks denuding landscapes and triggering conflict. Four out of five people who flee their homes rely on firewood for cooking […]
As fruit trees fall, a hunger threat looms in Kenya
Thomson Reuters Foundation When Leah Mutembei was growing up in Kajuki, a village in central Kenya, most farms were dotted with avocado and mango trees. “But now they have all gone,” the 32-year-old maize farmer said from her homestead, gesturing to the barren land nearby. “We had to cut them to make firewood and charcoal,” […]