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The true cost of using traditional fuels in a humanitarian setting. Case study of the Nyarugusu refugee camp, Kigoma region, Tanzania
Posted by: Rachel Miller
Modified date: 12/04/2017
The true cost of using traditional fuels in a humanitarian setting. Case study of the Nyarugusu refugee camp, Kigoma region, Tanzania
Categories
Relevant sector: Health, Environment, Camp Management & Coordination
Resource type: Document
Resource use: Needs Assessment & Analysis, Review & Evaluation, Other
Language of the document: English
Author
Rivoal, Morgane; Haselip, James Arthur
Organization
UNEP-DTU Partnership
Description
The aim of this research is to bring an economic rationale to the core of the humanitarian decisionmaking process in examining the specific issue of cooking in the Nyarugusu refugee camp. The current combination of woodfuel and inefficient cookstoves carries many hidden costs resulting in numerous negative externalities. These costs have been identified and valued using a monetary metric. In conducting this research, we pursued two objectives: 1. To calculate the benefit-cost ratio of a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) stove program in the camp. The business-as-usual scenario entails the use of traditional cookstoves. 2. To assess the Willingness-To-Pay (WTP), among the camp’s residents, for LPG. This second question prompted an ethical and theoretical consideration about asking a WTP question in the context of a refugee camp, where the provision of basic needs is traditionally covered by the UNHCR mandate. This in turn is related to the debate on the sustainability of the camp, the ‘shared but differentiated’ burden of the refugees, and their inclusion into the country’s economy.
Year of publication
2017