Civil Society Network on Climate Change (CISONECC) has urged communities in Lilongwe to adopt and utilize clean, safe, and sustainable energy sources to help preserve the country's environment.
Speaking during a demonstration event on clean energy technologies at Chiuzira School Ground in Lilongwe, CISONECC National Coordinator Julius Ng'oma urged for the promotion of equal access to clean, safe, and sustainable energy.
According to Ng'oma this initiative aims to empower communities to recognize the risks associated with environmentally damaging energy sources and to advocate for the adoption of clean and renewable energy alternatives.
Ng'oma encouraged communities to transition to energy sources that do not contribute to climate change, deforestation, and environmental degradation, especially pointing out the prevalence of charcoal and firewood sales in the Chiuzira area.
"It is very important for communities to understand the dangers of using charcoal and firewood so that they can change their attitudes towards management of the environment and be part of the processes and part of the solution in terms of addressing environment degradation and forest degradation in the country," said Ng'oma.
"PEACE project is complementing government efforts in transitioning from dirty energy to clean and renewable energy, we hope that these small steps will lead into some bigger steps and even in the near future so that we can see that the country is transitioning dirty energy into clean energy," explained Ng'oma.
Stella Banda, Marketing Officer at Chidosa Investments, suggested that communities should switch to gas for cooking as it is faster, cleaner, safer, and more environmentally friendly.
"Gas is cheaper. What is expensive is when we are buying the equipment like a cylinder but gas is the fastest source of energy cooking in our homes," said Banda.
Senior Group Kanyandule from Traditional Authority Chiuzira expressed appreciation to CISONECC and its partners for organizing the event, which is expected to motivate communities to shift away from charcoal and firewood towards cleaner and renewable energy sources.
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The event was a collaborative effort between CISONECC, OXFAM, and the Centre for Environmental Policy and Advocacy, with funding from the European Union EU as part of the Promoting Equitable Access to Clean Energy (PEACE) project, in partnership with Modern Cooking for Health Forest.
