Developing	sustainable	wood	
fuel	cooking	systems
Woody	Biomass	Energy	to	Meet	
NDCs	and	SDGs	in	Developing	Countries
COP	22,	Marrakech	– 15	November	2016
Henry	Neufeldt	and	Tony	Simons	
World	Agroforestry	Centre	(ICRAF)
Sustainable Renewable Modern
Bio-energy
Geothermal
Solar
Wave
Wind
Bio-energy
Geothermal
Solar
Wave
Wind
Bio-energy
Geothermal
Solar
Wave
Wind
Nuclear
Fracking
ENERGY
Percent	of	population	dependent	on	
solid	biofuels	in	Africa	and	Asia
Francis	Hannaway
WWF
In	Africa	80%	of	energy	is	derived	
from	firewood	and	charcoal
Wood	fuels
Charcoal
Hofstad et	al	2009
Hofstad et	al	2009
Million	tons
Million	m3
Current	electricity	generation	from	biomass-fired	power	
stations	in	the	European	Union	(GWh)
It’s	a	myth	that	charcoal	is	an	energy	source	
of	the	poor
Current	charcoal	value	chain
Improved	charcoal	value	chain
SDG7	Ensure	access	to	affordable,	reliable,	
sustainable,	and	modern	energy	for	all
Recommendations
Tree-based	bioenergy	systems,	ranging	from	firewood	and	
charcoal	to	liquid	biofuels	and	power	generation:
• Offer	great	opportunities	for	sustainable	green	growth	pathways	where	
biomass	energy	is	still	a	major	contributor	to	heating	and	cooking
• Improve	forest	management	and	forest	and	landscape	restoration		
• Require	a	shift	in	perception	to	rehabilitate	their	negative	image	
• Require	a	holistic	approach	that	considers	the	full	production	to	end-user	
cycle	(‘cooking	system’	approach)	
• Requires	collaboration	of	relevant	stakeholders	to	overcome	investment	
barriers
• Requires	political	coordination	at	subnational,	national	and	regional	levels
Critical	Success	Factors	for	Sustainable	Bioenergy
• SDGs	provide	direction	for	the	global	development	agenda	until	2030
• Sustainable	energy,	including	bioenergy,	can	contribute	to	the	achievement	of	
SDG	7	(affordable	and	clean	energy)	and	several	other	SDGs
• Governments	need	to	ensure	that	sustainable	energy	policies	are	aligned	with	
the	SDGs	for	bioenergy	to	unfold	its	full	potential
• Inclusive	and	effective	participatory	approaches	are	key	to	achieving	the	goal
• There	are	promising	pathways	and	technologies	to	develop	bioenergy,	which	
depend	on	national	and	local	contexts	that	need	to	be	taken	into	account	to	
identify	optimal	bioenergy	solutions
How	the	Numbers	Stack	Up
In	2015:
$131	billion	total	ODA	
$118	billion		(climate)	green	bonds
$694	billion	climate-aligned	bonds
$90	trillion	total	bond	market
$93	trillion	required	of	cumulative	
investment	to	address	climate
change	by	2030
Average	coupon	rates
3.7%	Investment	grade
6.9%	<BBB
Partnerships

Developing sustainable wood fuel cooking systems