When the government fell, the trees began coming down, too.
The collapse of Somalia's central government in 1991 and the subsequent absence of law and order removed any restraints on tree cutting in the East African state. Businesses and individuals took their machetes to the forest and began chopping down trees indiscriminately, to use as firewood or to produce charcoal for sale and export.
According to the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization, Somalia lost nearly 30% of its forest cover between 1990 and 2020, a disaster for environmentalists seeking to preserve wildlife, stem global warming and halt desertification. During much of the 2010s, says the U.N., an estimated 4.4 million trees were cut down annually in Somalia to produce some 250,000 tons of charcoal, most of it exported to Saudi Arabia and other states on the Arabian Peninsula.
The extent of the tree cutting was so alarming that in 2012, the U.N. Security Council banned the export of charcoal from Somalia. But sales by the militant group al-Shabab and individuals simply trying to make a living have continued.
The fight to stop tree cutting could take years as most citizens continue to rely on wood.
According to the Somali government, traditional biomass fuels -- mainly firewood and charcoal -- account for 82% of Somalia's total energy consumption. The government acknowledges "overdependence on unsustainable energy sources" for the majority of the population.
However, in the past few years, attitudes toward deforestation have begun to change, leading some Somalis to embrace alternate sources of energy. Progress is slow, but advocates say it is being made.
The growth of gas
Abdiraham Ali Ahmed has seen his business, Hass Petroleum, grow slowly since he began importing liquified petroleum gas, or LPG, to Mogadishu in 2008.
"When we started importing gas, the entire city was using about 20 tons. Now we bring in 1,500 tons, so there is a marked increase," Ahmed said. He said his company now delivers gas to other towns, including Baidoa, Marka and Afgoye.
He says LPG, which is often used as a cooking fuel, has been embraced by many restaurants in the capital. The company estimates that 30 percent of restaurants now use LPG but among the general population, the use of LPG is small, no more than 8%.
Ahmed blames lack of awareness about LPG and its advantages as a clean burning, easy-to-use, cost-efficient fuel -- and one that does not strip Somalia of its tree cover.
Ahmed wants the government to promote a transition by increasing taxes on charcoal and waiving taxation on gas.
"People who bring charcoal do that at no cost," he said. "They cut a tree that does not belong to them, they bring it to the market at $3, and they sell it at $10. We sell the can of gas at $20. If people were to be shown that gas is healthier and quicker to cook, helps the climate, and prevents damage and erosion, the consumption would be greater," he said.
In the northeastern port town of Bosaso, Sahal Gas head Abdilatif Abdullahi Nur has been importing LPG for 10 years.
He said his company has 10,000 to 15,000 customers in each of the five cities they operate.
"We passed the awareness and training period. This time, people come to our office and they call us seeking gas service," he said. "Now a lot of trees have been spared. It could come to a stage when no trees are cut, and that benefits the environment and climate."
The people who produce charcoal need a market, he said. He argues that if they see demand dwindling, they will realize they are going out of business, and they might move on to another business initiative.
Last month, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamed inaugurated the first gas storage facility in Mogadishu, which officials hope could lead to increased consumption.
A surge in solar power
Another source of energy gaining traction in Somalia is solar power. One of the biggest electricity companies in Mogadishu, BECO, set up a solar plant to supplement and, in the long run, potentially replace diesel generators that individuals and businesses have been using for decades, the company said.
"Now we reduced relying on diesel generators because BECO alone has set up a 72-megawatt solar grid," said Mohamed Farah Ali, the company's chief engineer and head of research and development."
"In Mogadishu, currently we are using 36% of our generation from solar in the daytime and 18% overall. Our target is 80% in the daytime and close to 50% in the nighttime," he said.
BECO, which provides electricity services to 280,000 customers in Mogadishu, set up its first solar plant in 2016. Solar power has helped reduce the price of electricity for BECO customers from $1.20 per kilowatt to just 36 cents per kilowatt.
"Economically, the public benefited with cheaper electricity. Environmentally we reduced the carbon dioxide and reliance on polluting generators. It's a win-win situation," he said.
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He said BECO's plan is to eliminate the use of diesel generators by 2027 -- "mostly, if not 100%." The company will instead produce electricity using solar, battery and heavy fuel oil. But he cautions that solar energy requires a huge investment from banks to expand capacity and reduce the price for citizens and businesses.
Meanwhile, residents in two small villages south of Mogadishu have this year started getting electricity from the solar grid.
"The aim of this project is to help the community get cheap and continuous electricity," said Sharmarke Abdulkadir Hassan, head of Tamarso, the solar company behind the solar installation in Abay Dhahan and Jazeera villages.
Eighteen households initially subscribed to the service in Abay Dhahan. Six months later, the customer base is up to 60 households out of roughly 150 households.
"People are now buying refrigerators to store fish, activity is kicking off," Hassan said.
The challenge? Solar energy is still expensive for the majority of the residents whose income is low.
"Investment in solar energy is paramount," he said.
This article is part of a three-part series examining the impact of climate events in Somalia.
