Explore the vast range of titles available.

Local communities living on the borders of protected areas can be key drivers of environmental degradation. Community‐based conservation initiatives seek to use sustainable activities as a strategy for mitigating these degradative behaviors while improving livelihoods but must be scalable to the site and sustainable over time. Teacher training, as a means of information transfer to the broader community, is one technique for implementing long‐term sustainable behavior programs. To be effective, sustainability practices must reach beyond behavior change in teachers to influence students and the broader community in which they work. UNITE for the Environment (UNITE) is a community‐based environmental sustainability program located along the border of Kibale National Park in Uganda, a site of high biodiversity, particularly for primates. UNITE focuses on conducting teacher trainings with 12 schools within 5 km of the park. We conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of the transfer of UNITE's sustainability practices to the broader community. Families of teachers and students from schools that UNITE worked with, as well as control schools, were surveyed to assess their use of sustainable activities promoted by UNITE. Sustainable activities included specific agricultural practices, composting, bee‐keeping and fuel‐efficient stoves, while controlling for possible confounding variables between households including socioeconomic, spatial, and demographic variables. Results revealed that UNITE households, in comparison with control group households, showed greater use of sustainable practices for 12 of 13 behaviors tested. Wealth was the most influential of socioeconomic factors, with wealthier individuals more likely to implement sustainable activities. UNITE participants had greater value of the environment and belief in their ability to affect the environment than members of the control group. This study demonstrates the ability of teacher training programs to influence sustainable behavior, even while controlling for socioeconomic factors, suggesting that other programs should consider this approach to community‐based conservation. Teacher training leads to greater use of sustainable behaviors in student households in rural communities living near biodiverse areas. While wealth also influenced the ability of households to participate in some sustainable behaviors, teacher training programs were able to increase sustainable behaviors across the broader community.

This study investigates the heat transfer performance of an energy efficient smokeless biomass stove enhanced by natural convection through inclined tubes. The stove incorporates a cylindrical combustion chamber (406.4 mm in diameter and 762 mm in height), enclosed within an insulated outer housing to minimize thermal losses. A mild steel inclined tube, 20–24 inches in length and positioned at a 75° inclination, facilitates passive air supply to the combustion zone via buoyancy-driven flow. Two configurations of the inclined tube were examined: a plain tube and a tube fitted with internal circular rings to induce turbulence and enhance convective heat transfer. Five K-type thermocouples were installed along the length of each tube at 120 mm intervals to monitor temperature gradients. The internally ringed tube consistently recorded wall temperatures 8–18 °C higher than those of the plain tube, attributed to intensified flow disruption and improved heat transfer from flue gases to the tube surface. This temperature rise increases the buoyancy effect, reducing the density of incoming air and thereby enhancing the natural draft into the combustion chamber. Improved air inflow promotes more efficient combustion and reduces smoke generation, without relying on mechanical assistance. The experimental results are supported by a mathematical model based on buoyant flow theory. The findings confirm that simple internal modifications to inclined tubes can substantially improve natural convection and heat transfer, making this approach a viable and low cost solution for sustainable cooking, especially in rural settings where fuel efficiency and indoor air quality are essential.

Carbon offset projects play a crucial role in tackling the global challenge of climate change. However, there is limited understanding of the factors contributing to the success of a carbon offset project. In this study, we utilize the latent Dirichlet allocation method to extract topics from the descriptions of carbon offset projects sourced from the Gold Standard Foundation. Our findings reveal that projects encompassing both safety and efficient energy solutions for households command higher prices. These results imply that an effective carbon offset project should mitigate individual household emissions while enhancing safety. Our research carries significant implications for stakeholders involved in carbon offset projects and can serve as a foundation for policy formulation and standard regulations.

Half of humanity about 3 billion people are still relying on solid fuels for cooking and heating. Of that, about 2.5 billion people depend on traditional biomass fuels (wood, charcoal, agricultural waste, and animal dung), while about 400 million people use coal as their primary cooking and heating fuel (UNDP and WHO 2009). The majority of the population relying on solid fuels lives in Sub-Saharan Africa and in South Asia. In some countries in Central America and in East Asia and the Pacific, the use of solid fuels is also significant. The inefficient and unsustainable production and use of these fuels result in a significant public health hazard, as well as negative environmental impacts that keep people in poverty. Strategies to improve energy access to the poor have focused mainly on electricity access. They have often neglected non electricity household energy access. It is, however, estimated that about 2.8 billion people will still depend on fuel wood for cooking and heating in 2030 in a business-as-usual modus operandi (IEA 2010). The need for urgent interventions at the household level to provide alternative energy services to help improve livelihoods is becoming more and more accepted. This report's main objective is to conduct a review of the World Bank's financed operations and selected interventions by other institutions on household energy access in an attempt to examine success and failure factors to inform the new generation of upcoming interventions. First, the report provides a brief literature review to lay out the multidimensional challenge of an overwhelming reliance on solid fuels for cooking and heating. Second, it highlights how the Bank and selected governments and organizations have been dealing with this challenge. Third, it presents lessons learned to inform upcoming interventions. And finally, it indicates an outlook on the way forward.

Conventional biogas stoves used for injera baking face major drawbacks, including uneven heat distribution, high fuel use, and inconsistent product quality that undermines cultural authenticity. This study designed and experimentally tested a novel biogas stove with a circular concentric burner paired with a thin clay–composite baking pan (Ø44 cm × 15 mm). Thermal tests showed the optimized pan reached its working temperature of 230 °C in just 20 min—cutting heating time by half compared to conventional pans, which required 40 min to reach 234 °C. A standardized batch process was established: each injera baked in 3 min, followed by a 2-minute idle recovery, ensuring stable temperature control within ± 5 °C. Using this cycle, a 5-injera batch was completed in 43 min, versus 63 min with conventional systems. Quality assessments confirmed authentic injera with consistent porosity (15–17 pores/in 2 ), high flexibility (able to fold 180° without cracks), and dependable non-stick performance. Overall, the improved design delivers quicker operation, even heat distribution, and superior injera quality, offering a sustainable and culturally appropriate cooking solution for Ethiopian households.

This paper examines households’ preferences, willingness to pay, and determinants of adopting improved cook stoves in rural Ethiopia. The study uses primary household data selected randomly from three districts in Ethiopia’s Oromia region. The data was collected using a mix of contingent and choice experiment methods of valuation. The former used a double-bounded value elicitation method, while the latter used a fractional factorial design to efficiently generate an attribute and level combination for the improved cook stoves. The study also used various discrete choice models for data analysis and also used models which account for scale and preference heterogeneity. The findings show that the sample households were aware of the effects of using traditional cook stoves and the benefits of using improved cook stoves. However, they were constrained by the availability of the new technology and discouraged by the low-quality of the products that they had used so far. The estimated mean willingness to pay ranged from about 150 Birr to 350 Birr which is lower than the market price of the improved cook stoves. Emission reduction, reducing fire risks, and the durability of the cook stove positively affected its adoption, while price discouraged its use. Higher levels of education, higher incomes, non-farm employment, and having more livestock increased the probability of adopting the new gas stoves. The study recommends that policymakers and product designers should use the mean willingness to pay and marginal rate of substitution for the different attributes as a benchmark for product design and pricing that fit households’ preferences and ability to pay. The lower mean willingness to pay means that a public subsidizing policy is needed for effectively disseminating improved cook stoves in rural Ethiopia.

Purpose The use of energy efficient cookstoves (EECS) has been promoted for a long and considered as instrumental in the efforts to mitigate the multiple social, economic and environmental consequences of traditional biomass cookstoves. Despite this, the adoption of EECS in pre-urban and rural Ethiopia is still very low. In response to this, the government of Ethiopia, in collaboration with international development organizations, implemented numerous initiatives aimed at improving the availability and use of EECS as part of the effort to support sustainable development. However, very little is known about the impact of the introduced EECS on improving the welfare of women. The purpose of this study is, therefore, to assess the impact of improved cookstoves projects on the welfare of women in Yaya Gullele district, Ethiopia. Design/methodology/approach A mixed research design was adopted to conduct the study. The quantitative data for the study were collected using a structured questionnaire by interviewing 388 randomly selected respondents. The data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential data analysis techniques, including the propensity score matching model using STATA. Findings Results of the study revealed that adoption of EECS has reduced fuel wood expense (124.65 Ethiopian Birr [ETB]/week), reduced five-year stove expense (404.67 ETB) and increased regular savings (116.58 ETB/month), which contributed for an increased annual income of participants (5,594.42 ETB). The result of the study also indicated that the use of EECS enabled the beneficiary women to reduce the amount of fuel wood use by 29.4 kg/week, which in turn reduced forest degradation and emission by 2.34 tons of CO2e/year/household. Besides, it reduced the drudgery on women in terms of reduced time to cook (53 min/day), reduced time to collect fuelwood and prepare food (3.95 h/week) and reduced frequency of fuelwood collection trips (3.42 trips/week). The study results, in general, indicated that the adoption of EECS improved the welfare of women in the study area, where the majority of women have been suffering from the burden of using traditional stoves and associated impacts for a long. Practical implications Energy is central to most of the development-related challenges and opportunities every country faces today. The result of the study implied that policies and strategies intended at improving the availability and use of EECS as part of the effort to support sustainable development need to consider integrating such context-referenced, locally manageable and affordable EECS into the clean developmental strategies of the country. Originality/value Insights from this study can support development practitioners and policymakers to make informed decisions regarding future interventions in the use of energy efficient that have the potential to several economic, social and environmental positive development outcomes.

This study investigates the limitations of localized heating in a single-story dwelling, using a validated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to analyze thermal stratification and its impact on occupant comfort. A comparative evaluation of turbulence models (k-ε and k-ω SST) and equations of state (Soave–Redlich–Kwong and Peng–Robinson) identified the k-ω SST model with the Soave–Redlich–Kwong equation as the most accurate and computationally efficient combination for capturing temperature gradients and achieving rapid convergence. Experimental validation demonstrated strong agreement between simulated and measured temperature profiles, confirming the model’s reliability. The results highlight a fundamental trade-off between localized thermal comfort and overall indoor temperature uniformity in conventionally heated spaces. While localized heating enhances comfort near the heat source, it generates vertical temperature disparities exceeding acceptable comfort thresholds at greater distances. Specifically, at 3 m from the heat source, the temperature difference between ankle and head height reached 6 °C, surpassing the 4 °C limit recommended by ASHRAE-55 for standing occupants. These findings underscore the need for alternative heating solutions that prioritize uniform heat distribution, energy efficiency, and optimized ventilation to improve indoor thermal comfort in residential buildings. This study provides critical insights to help develop and implement sustainable heating strategies and the design of energy-efficient dwellings.

Indoor cooking with solid biomass fuels is a daily practice in 30% of poor Filipino households, contributing to a 76% accruable burden of respiratory diseases. As indoor air pollution is a worsening burden in the Philippines, this study aimed to determine whether the use of a Fuel-Efficient Stove (FES) would reduce exposure and perceived respiratory symptoms, as compared with the traditional Three-Stone Fire (TSF) stoves, in two sub-units (30 households each) of Brgy. Sta. Cruz, Sto. Tomas, Batangas. Methodology. The study utilized a quasi-experimental interventional design. A laboratory analysis comparing the FES and TSF carbon monoxide (CO) point emission levels, and performance was done. Mothers aged 25 years old and above using solid biomass fuels indoors were selected using simple random sampling. The participants answered a questionnaire on perceived respiratory symptoms, and 10% from the experimental group was tested for ambient and stove CO concentrations before and after the stove deployment. Results. Results showed that the FES significantly reduced CO concentrations for both in the laboratory setting (77.18%) and in the household setting (overall 79.32%). The Water Boiling Test for stove efficiency showed that, in the laboratory, the FES boiled water 43.16% faster, and consumed 27.59% less wood per minute while heating 60.16% more water per gram of wood by transmitting 171.43% more heat to the pot, as compared to the TSF. After the three-month period, there were observed decreases in almost all respiratory symptoms in the experimental group, but these were not statistically significant. Conclusion. The FES was found to be more efficient and produced less emissions but did not significantly decrease respiratory health symptoms in the study population.

Bangladesh is one of the world's poorest countries. Nearly 80 percent of the nation's 140 million people reside in rural areas; of these, 20 percent live in extreme poverty. Geographically, many low-lying areas are vulnerable to severe flooding, while other regions are prone to drought, erosion, and soil salinity. Such an unfavorable agricultural landscape, combined with mismanagement of natural resources and increasing population pressure, is pushing many of the rural poor to the brink. Because Bangladesh is such a poor country, it also is one of the world's lowest energy producers. Total annual energy supply is only about 150 liters of oil equivalent per capita (International Energy Agency, or IEA 2003); in rural areas, conditions are even worse. Compared to other developing countries, Bangladesh uses little modern energy. Despite its successful rural electrification program, close to two-thirds of households remain without electricity and, with the exception of kerosene, commercial fuels are beyond reach for many. Moreover, biomass fuels are becoming increasingly scarce. Collected mainly from the local environment as recently as two decades ago, bio-fuels are fast becoming a marketed commodity as access to local biomass continues to shrink. This study, the first to concentrate on Bangladesh's energy systems and their effects on the lives of rural people, drew on these background studies, as well as other World Bank-financed research on indoor air pollution (IAP) and rural infrastructure, to present a rural energy strategy for the country. Much of this study's analytical underpinning was based on several background studies. This study also reanalyzed data from earlier research to better understand the benefits of modern energy use for rural households, farm activities, and small businesses.