Hourly Firewood Consumption Patterns and CO2 Emission Patterns in Rural Households of Nepal

Pokharel Tika Ram,Rijal Hom Bahadur

doi:10.3390/designs4040046

Abstract

Nepal has low per-capita energy use and a majority of its rural residents use firewood as their primary energy source. Excessive use of firewood in improperly ventilated buildings degrades the indoor environment and health condition of the inhabitants. This study aims to assess the influence of hourly firewood consumption patterns on CO2 emissions and resulting concentrations in rural households in Nepal. A field survey was conducted for 24 h in 16 households during winter. The results suggest that most of the households tend to use more firewood during the morning and evening hours. Family size and number of animals reared by the households were positively correlated with firewood consumption, whereas family size was negatively correlated with per-capita firewood consumption. Per-capita firewood consumption was found to be 1.8 kg/(capita·day). Household firewood consumption and CO2 emissions were 12 kg/(family·day) and 14.26 kg CO2 e/(household·day), respectively. The larger households spent more time for cooking, while their consumption rate was similar (1.3 kg/h) to that of smaller households. High indoor CO2 emissions in the morning and evening hours due to high firewood consumption may pose severe health risks to the inhabitants. Therefore, intensive awareness programs and pollution control programs are suggested for improving indoor air quality and health condition of the rural population.

Highlights

Firewood is an important source of household energy for the rural population of many developing countries
The land form is sloped and terraced. This study chose this area for the investigation as the terrain, living conditions, energy use patterns, and housing conditions are representative of rural communities of the hill regions in Nepal
Firewood is a major source of cooking fuel, and nearly 60% of households in Nepal use firewood as their primary cooking fuel [17]

Summary

Introduction

Firewood is an important source of household energy for the rural population of many developing countries. 2.6 billion people from developing countries fulfil a majority of their basic energy demand for cooking and space heating from fuelwood, and the practice is considered to be inefficient, unhealthy, and unsustainable [1]. This trend is expected to continue in the future, especially in rural areas of developing countries [1]. According to the household survey 2015/16 of Nepal, firewood is a major source of cooking fuel for more than half of the households in the country and is used by 76.5% rural households and

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion