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PUBLICATION
FUEL FOR SECURING ECOSYSTEMS AND LIVELIHOODS
Recent examples demonstrate that insufficient provision of energy
sources in refugee and returnee operations can have dramatic ecological and
humanitarian consequences. The report contains some examples from Nepal, Tanzania,
DR Congo and Ethiopia, where the large consumption of firewood and timber has led
to large scale deforestation and forest degradation. In Darfur, camp residents are
forced to travel up to 15 kilometers - in some cases even 75 kilometers to
find firewood. This has dramatic impacts on health, (food) security and future
livelihood opportunities of the affected people and host communities.
UNHCR and other emergency aid organizations have included substantial
elements of sustainable energy supply in their policies and plans; however,
implementation is often late or insufficient. Although there may be time and
security constraints, careful planning of refugee and returnee camps and implementing
sustainable energy solutions as soon as possible are key elements of
humanitarian operations, states the report.
A wide variety of potential alternative energy sources and technologies already exists. Some interesting alternatives to firewood and charcoal are: fuel briquettes, that were used by Burmese refugees in Thailand; biofuels, for instance ethanol stoves, as tested in Ethiopia; and solar energy cookers, that were successfully introduced in Chad, Ethiopia and Nepal.
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