UNDP is pleased to announce the release of three publications arising from the UNDP-UNEP CDM capacity development project in Eastern & Southern Africa.
All three publications cover aspects of the bio-carbon sector, a sector that holds much promise in sub-Saharan Africa (and elsewhere) but one that also faces a unique set of challenges and barriers. A broad overview of the bio-carbon sector (forestry and bioenergy) is accompanied by more detailed analyses of forest carbon accounting principles and the use of biomass energy in cement production. Synopses are provided below.
The publications can be downloaded from: http://www.undp.org/climatechange/carbon-finance/CDM/resources.shtml
Best regards,
Rob Kelly.
Robert Kelly
Regional Coordinator
CDM Capacity Development, Eastern & Southern Africa.
ECA Old Building, 7th Floor, P.O. Box 5580, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
+251 11 544 4133
Bio-Carbon in Africa: Harnessing Carbon Finance for Forestry & Bioenergy
A review of bio-carbon opportunities and challenges in Africa. The chapters are organised in terms of the production cycle, beginning with two chapters on forest bio-carbon: one on policy options and the second on forest bio-carbon methodologies. The review then moves into coverage of domestic bio-energy and charcoal production—technologies very much linked to the forest sector through their use of wood as a fuel source. The following chapters address bio-energy proper, first with a broad review of policy options and instruments before delving into specific bio-energy options, each with an increasing level of technological sophistication. The section begins with anaerobic digestion and then proceeds to chapters on bagasse cogeneration, biomass use in cement production, and biomass gasification and pyrolysis. The final chapter considers landfill bio-energy, at the end of the production cycle. The review should be useful for policy-makers seeking an overview of forestry / bio-energy regulation and promotion, and project proponents seeking to develop CDM or voluntary market carbon projects.
Forest Carbon Accounting: Overview & Principles
Forests play an important role in the global carbon balance. As both carbon sources and sinks, they have the potential to form an important component in efforts to combat global climate change. Accounting for the carbon within forest ecosystems and changes in carbon stocks resulting from human activities is a necessary first step towards better representation of forests in climate change policy at project, regional, national and global scales. This paper provides an overview of the principles and techniques used in measuring carbon stores and fluxes associated with forests.
Use of Biomass Energy in Cement Production
Biomass and biomass residues, if sourced in an environmentally and socially sustainable fashion, represent a vast – and largely untapped – renewable energy source for the countries of sub-Saharan Africa. This guide seeks to outline the potential, taking the Ethiopian cement sector as a specific example of how biomass energy might be deployed in practice. Many of the issues covered, such as the need for biomass pre-treatment and densification, the problems of biomass availability in space and time, and the importance of appropriate on-site storage and handling facilities, are equally applicable to other countries and, indeed, other manufacturing sectors. It is hoped that the guide will assist policy makers, industrial operators and the technical community to engage with the opportunities and challenges presented by the use of biomass energy, particularly in the context of the financing opportunities provided by the Clean Development Mechanism.
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