Interesting point, but I wonder how such a change would come
about when people often can’t afford an alternative? By Sarah
Yang, Media Relations BERKELEY — The primary source of light for
more than a billion people in developing nations is also
churning out black carbon at levels previously overlooked in
greenhouse gas estimates, according to a new study led by
researchers at UC Berkeley and the University of Illinois.
Results from field and lab tests found that 7 to 9 percent of
the kerosene in wick lamps — used for light in 250-300 million
households without electricity — is converted to black carbon
when burned. In comparison, only half of 1 percent of the
emissions from burning wood is converted to black carbon.
Factoring in the new study results leads to a twentyfold
increase in estimates of black carbon emissions from kerosene-
fueled lighting. The previous estimates come from established
databases used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
and others. One kilogram of black carbon, a byproduct