Burning for Sustainability: Biomass Energy, International Migration, and the Move to Cleaner Fuels and Cookstoves in Guatemala

More than a century after the introduction of electric power transmission, almost 3 billion people still rely on biomass fuels to meet their energy needs. Use of this renewable fuel in unvented cooking stoves results in disastrous consequences for human health and global warming. These negative outcomes have led governmental and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to push for improved wood-burning stoves and cleaner burning, but nonrenewable, alternatives like liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). The move up the energy ladder to cleaner fuels and improved stoves is thought to be associated with rising income and increased levels of urbanization. Increased income in developing countries often comes in the form of remittances from millions of migrants working abroad. Thus, migrants and their money could arguably be agents of change in the transition to cleaner fuels or the more efficient use of existing renewable energy sources. This article examines the case of Guatemala, where 88 percent of rural households use firewood for cooking, and where almost 15 percent of the country's 14 million population migrates to the United States. A continued preference for firewood, despite increased income, can be explained as a rational decision based on cost, experience, and cooking methods. Additionally, through an analysis of forest cover in firewood source areas, we demonstrate that this energy source is, for the most part, used in a fashion that makes it renewable. Recognizing these patterns of, and reasons for, this resource use permits us to make realistic recommendations for sustainable livelihoods and use of this renewable energy source.