Around the world, 3 billion people lack access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking. In Africa, charcoal production has doubled in the past two decades and demand is likely to keep growing as more people move to urban centres. It is cleaner and easier to use than firewood, and is often cheaper and more readily available than gas or electricity. But the surge in charcoal use is contributing to forest degradation and in some areas also to deforestation, especially around large urban centers. So, what can be done to make charcoal use more sustainable? To turn black charcoal ‘green’?