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Autumn 2009 Climate Alert

How Does Black Carbon Change the Climate Debate? [ PDF ]

In this Newsletter:

Community-Level Technology Transfer

Lynn Kirshbaum, Climate Institute

Technology transfer has been central in climate change discussions between developed and developing countries. Though much of this debate has focused on cleaner high-tech, industrial technologies at the state level, transfers of simpler technologies for community or individual household use are also essential for black carbon reduction. At the individual level however, there have been social, cultural, and institutional barriers to adoption of new technologies. The implications of reducing black carbon are immense for climate change, but technologies intended to mitigate black carbon emissions are useless if not implemented effectively.

Since the 1970s, governments and non-governmental organizations in the developing world have promoted improved cookstove programs with varying degrees of success. The efficacy of a new technology’s implementation can be attributed to factors in three overarching categories: financing, local conditions, and community involvement.

Financing

Financing is an integral component of any new technology program, especially at the individual level. Whether a new technology is affordable can be a key determinant in its widespread adoption. Subsidies provided either by the host government or by donor countries or organizations can make new technologies affordable, but ultimately diminish the value placed on them by the users. In western Africa, for example, the market for improved stoves decreased dramatically in the late 1980s when there was no longer project financing by the state or by international donors (i). Such examples have led many in the development community to believe that new products and technologies should not be given out for free or at a drastically reduced cost. Various cases have shown that a consumer is more likely to value and use a product she had to pay for than one that was given to her for free. Therefore, programs should require users to purchase new products so as to reinforce their value and encourage their use. Nepal’s latest improved stove program, which began in 2000 and gave no subsidies to end users, demonstrated that such a program could be successful, and suggests that in fact “direct end user subsidy should be discouraged for the continued use of ICS and the sustainability of the program (ii).”

However, new clean technologies cannot be priced equivalently in developing and developed countries, and inappropriate pricing schemes have been the downfall of many new technology dissemination programs. In an improved stove program in Nicaragua, the initial price of a new stove (US $35 and $45 for two different models) was too high for potential buyers, being equivalent to about one month’s salary for many households (iii). Though people were interested in purchasing the cleaner technology, the initial mispricing of the stoves ultimately caused the program to fail even after the program organizers lowered prices and employed credit mechanisms (iv). Pricing a new product too high will disallow individuals from purchasing it, even if they desire to adopt the new technology.

Local Conditions

New technology implementation is greatly affected by the conditions within a particular country or community. Even different regions within a country will have varying levels of success with the same product due to different hyper-local conditions. First, the rural-urban divide affects the adoption of a technology: while urbanites buy the products they need, in rural areas those same products are grown, made or traded by individual households within a community. Prior to a USAID program in Bangladesh, “the households in the target communities did not typically purchase stoves, but instead constructed them at home,” adding another challenge to the program’s implementation (v). Furthermore, any new technology that is implemented effectively on a broad scale must be accessible to residents of both urban and rural communities: sound infrastructure, availability of information, and replacement components of new technologies are important for sustained adoption.

The extent to which a new technology is transferable to a community will also greatly affect the extent to which it is adopted. Technologies that are not perceived as better or do not fit with traditions will not be embraced. Improved technologies that use materials that are not native or readily available on the local market will fail. Though use of easily attainable materials is an important factor, so is the local production capacity: local producers that cannot meet local demand will be ineffectual in promoting adoption and sustained use of new technologies. Inability to meet demand could arise from a lack of materials, production equipment, or workers. Ensuring that these three resources are available to local producers will help to promote the success of an improved technology program.

Community Involvement

Community engagement in designing and implementing new technology programs greatly enhances their success: new technologies that are attuned to local needs and are promoted by local people are more likely to not only be adopted, but to enjoy sustained use and improvements. A community that is aware of its need for improved technology will be far more likely to adopt it. In the case of cookstoves, those communities that lack fuel wood or understand the health impacts of traditional cooking methods are more eager to adopt a new program. Community members should also be involved in the design and production of new technologies, as programs that do not employ traditional designs or local producers are more likely to fail. The engagement of women is also an effective method of increasing the success rate of new technologies, especially those that are primarily used in the home, such as cookstoves.

New technology implementation is by no means guaranteed even with the most well-planned programs, but success rates can be increased drastically by considering the factors outlined above. By ensuring that these challenges to implementation are overcome, new technology programs will be much more effective.

Foonotes

(i) “Improved Cooking Stoves for Developing Countries,” Johannes V. Owsianowski, Philippe Barry,  p. 2

(ii) “National Improved Cook Stove Dissemination in the Mid-Hills of Nepal, Experiences, Opportunities and Lesson learnt,” Saurav K. Shrestha, et.al., Alternative Energy Promotion Center, p. 6

(iii) “Pilot Commercialization of Improved Cookstoves in Nicaragua,” Ernesto N, Terrado, Birgit Eitel, Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (2005) p. 21

(iv) “Pilot Commercialization in Nicaragua,” p. 21

(v) “Commercialization of Improved Cookstoves for Reduced Indoor Air Pollution in Urban Slums of Northwest Bangladesh,” Winrock International, USAID (2009) p. 14

Further Reading

Other Articles in this Newsletter:

A Message from the President

Black Carbon: An Emerging Climate Change Culprit

The Achievable Path to Climate Protection

Opportunities to Reduce Black Carbon Emissions

Local Air Pollution and Human Health

The High Stakes for Small Islands

Reassessing Responsibilities

Arctic Amplification

Cookstove Technology Standards

Stove Revolution: Cookstove Improvement Projects in China

 

 


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