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Biochar-producing cookstoves can supply fuel-efficient heat for cooking in developing countries. The produced biochar can be used as a soil amendment, providing a range of environmental and agronomic benefits and serve to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Despite these advantages, many stove initiatives have not been sustained in the long term, but very little attention has been devoted to understanding the reasons behind this. The present study contributes to filling this knowledge gap, by identifying key factors affecting the level of stove adoption and use, as well as biochar utilization. Based on a follow-up survey of 50 households in northwestern Tanzania that received microgasifier stoves in 2015, only 12 still made use of their stove 5 years later. One of the main reasons for this relates to the inadequate quality of stove material. Declining or inconsistent availability of feedstocks was also identified as a major challenge. Furthermore, the households generally did not embrace the idea of amending soils with biochar, due to a combination of local practices and perceptions, and a lack of education and awareness programs. We conclude that, under the conditions of the studied project, three factors are required to scale dissemination: improvement of the stove design, provision of training programs on biochar management and subsidies or microloans that would make more durable stoves affordable. Sustained stove deployment can only be achievable by institutionalizing financing structures that are independent from short-term grant-based initiatives. • Lessons five years after the implementation of an improved cookstove program • Contributes to understanding why many stove initiatives have not been sustained • Main reasons include quality of stove material and feedstock availability. • Biochar-producing cookstoves in Kagera region, Tanzania • The idea of amending soils with biochar is generally not embraced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochar was recently included as a promising negative emissions technology (NET) in the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Unlike other NETs, it can potentially be used to mitigate global climate change while adding to local resilience in countries highly exposed and sensitive to impacts of climate change, such as least-developed countries (LDCs). The study is as an empirical contribution to the, as of yet, underdeveloped literature on deployment of negative emissions technologies in LDCs in general and on biochar use in developing countries and LDCs specifically. Nine historical and existing biochar projects in Tanzania are mapped in order to analyse problems, goals and common trade-offs associated with small- to medium-scale biochar production in LDCs. The mapping is based on a literature and document study, interviews with project actors, and on-site visits to biochar projects during 2019. The paper gives support to the observation made in the biochar literature that while biochar has many potential socio-economic and environmental benefits, combining them in one single project is difficult. It is concluded that implementing biochar projects in Tanzania will likely involve trade-offs between the development and subsistence strategies and needs of local communities, the motivational forces of different project participants, and the uneven regulatory capacity of the state. We end by reflecting on the use of biochar projects to offset carbon emissions made elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sweden and Finland have national goals to reach net negative greenhouse gas emissions before mid-century. Achieving these ambitious goals could employ negative emission technologies, such as bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, but it is unclear how this technology could be realized in an energy transition. Sweden and Finland stand out for having a large share of substantial point source emissions of biogenic carbon dioxide, in the production of pulp, heat and power. In the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register, Sweden and Finland reported 64% and 51% biogenic emissions, respectively, in facilities emitting over 100 kt of carbon dioxide in 2017, while the corresponding collective figure for all European states in the database is 6%. This qualitative study highlights company actors' perspectives on bioenergy with carbon capture and storage within a Nordic regional context and explores their perspective on emerging tensions in the energy transition. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 of the 24 companies with the largest point sources of biogenic emissions. The results are framed around four emerging tensions regarding bioenergy with carbon capture and storage from companies' perspectives in this study: (1) absence of reliable long-term policies; (2) limits to companies' climate change responsibility; (3) technical trade-offs of carbon capture; and (4) lack of customer demands for negative emissions. According to most of the companies, it is technically feasible to capture carbon dioxide, but it could be a challenge to determine who is responsible to create a financially viable business case, to enact supporting policies, and to build transport and storage infrastructure. Company representatives argue that they already contribute to a sustainable society, therefore bioenergy with carbon capture and storage is not their priority without government collaboration. However, they are willing to contribute more and could have an increasing role towards an energy transition in an international context. • BECCS discussions are on the horizon, but few companies are first movers. • Large-scale deployment of BECCS would require political and financial support. • Swedish and Finnish companies lack customer demand for negative emissions. • There are trade-offs between energy efficiency and carbon capture. • Companies consider BECCS as one of many climate change mitigation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]