[Stoves] The future of biomass stoves. was...Fwd: [stove and LF Annals] Historical watershed

[Julien Winter]

Hello all;

I think there will be a future for biomass stoves for a long time yet,
because the main users don't have much of a cash income.  These people have
to be frugal.  There are many products for which they need cash, such as
clothing, school fees, household accoutrements, transportation,
photovoltaic systems and the all essential cell phone.  They too will what
computers.  Some of these things may be bartered for, but many not.
Products that are imported into a community, or especially those imported
into a country are usually paid for in cash.  Fuel is often free, or part
of the local barter economy.

This problem is at the essence of introducing ANY improved cookstove, not
only ones that requires high quality fuel.  The traditional mud stove, and
its fuel, are often free.

Even in comparatively affluent Atlantic Canada where the economy is a bit
slow, a resourceful family will have a big vegetable garden, catch
watermeat, shoot a moose, and heat their home with wood.  That way they can
afford to do other things with their money that are important to their
quality of life.


Perhaps in the far, far distant future, all stoves will be LPG or pellets.
But don't hold your breath.  We have to increase the disposable income of 3
billion people.  In the mean time, we are facing a catastrophic population
explosion.  The World's resources are going to be stretched to the limit
even if we have one child per family, according to Bradshaw, CJA; Brook,
BW.  2014.  Human population reduction is not a quick fix for environmental
problems.  Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 111(46):
16610–16615, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1410465111


In the meantime, lets work on making biomass stove cleaner.  Just wait and
see what we can do when we start building gas burners on a 3-D printer.
That technology could offer some very cleaver, yet unimagined ways of
bringing smoke and air together in the right concentration.

Cheers,
Julien.

-- 
Julien Winter
Cobourg, ON, CANADA
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