Fuel Switching, Fuel Stacking and Deforestation: A Pilot Survey of Odo-Otin Local Government Area of Osun State, Nigeria

Abstract

In the last three decades, the Nigerian environment has experienced rapid deforestation. A major contributory factor to this phenomenon is the pattern of socioeconomic development in the country that gives little or no consideration to environmental outcomes. An aspect of this development is the energy pricing policy and removal of subsidies on petroleum products. The result is that prices of commercial fuels inclusive of kerosene and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (cooking gas) have continued to rise beyond the reach of majority of the Nigerian population. The paper examines the effect of increasing prices of petroleum products on the pattern of energy use in cooking by rural/urban households and its environmental implications in Odo-Otin Local Government Area of Osun State, Nigeria. Results show that prior to the removal of subsidy on kerosene, majority of the households sampled used kerosene for cooking in urban areas while those in the rural areas mostly used fuel wood and charcoal Thereafter, a partial switch in the pattern of domestic energy consumption was observed, with more households using charcoal and LPG in urban areas while those in rural areas mainly used fuel wood and other more polluting, less efficient, energy sources for cooking. The paper recommends a transition towards more environmental friendly energy sources for household usage.