Tuesday 8 September 2015

See room, times and speakers

Wood plays an important role as a source of energy around the globe. Over half of all wood produced in the world is used for energy. In developing countries, it is often the only energy source for poor people in both urban and rural areas. One-third of households – mostly in developing countries – use wood as their main source of fuel for cooking and around 765 million people use woodfuel to boil their drinking water.

Yet challenges to sustainable production and consumption of wood energy are many, including illegal production; indoor air pollution due to inefficient use of woodfuel; the disproportionate burden fuelwood collection imposes on women and children; and cross-continental trade and large scale use of wood pellets for power generation and district heating in industrialized countries, which has led to concerns regarding the sustainability of production. If woodfuel becomes scarce, moreover, people may cook fewer meals or be unable to sterilize drinking water, affecting human health and food security. 

The main purpose of this event is to showcase the potential wood energy holds for sustainable development and greener economies to the world’s forestry community and beyond, and highlight ways to make wood energy use more sustainable and efficient, thereby enhancing its contribution to livelihood improvement, gender equity, food security, health, energy access and sustainable forest management.

Who can attend?

All individuals and institutions registered for the Congress are welcome to attend.