South Africans are being encouraged to ditch the electric stove and braai because its better for the environment.
Professor Bob Scholes from Global Change Institute spoke to eNCA and said that ‘If you want to do your bit for the climate then you don’t have to give up braaing because braaing is in fact it is carbon neutral.’
‘The carbon dioxide that you are putting back into the atmosphere, whether braaing using charcoal or wood, is simply returning a loan from a few years ago. So you can feel comfortable about that.’
‘Our forests produce about 30 million tons of wood per year and we only use about 20 million tons of that, so actually have a surplus every year’, added Professor Scholes.
South African firewood is taken from common trees like hard wood, kameeldoring, mopani, sekelbos, rooikraans, soft wood and pine. Alien trees like black wattle is also used for firewood.
Protected trees should never be used for firewood, these include: cycads, baobabs, jacarandas, gum trees, camelthorn trees and pod mahogany.
For the moreprotected tree species click here.
Image: Unsplash
