By: Henry B. Gboluma, Jr. | Gbarpolu Correspondent
Lowoma Town, Gbarpolu County | January 22, 2026| In Lowoma Town, 65-year-old J. Burgess Pewee stands at the crossroads of tradition and climate reality.
A father of seven, he turns a daily necessity into a dangerous business; producing charcoal to support his family, keep his children in school, and fuel their gasoline venture.
He said that the process, however, comes with a steep price. Both for the forest that feeds it and the global climate that bears the burden of such livelihoods.
The Chain of a Charcoal trade
The work begins with cutting trees or sticks in the bush or forest according to Burgess.
The timber is crosscut into manageable pieces and stacked into what Pewee describes as a “charcoal bed” or “oven”.
A fire is lit, and the flames burn from the bottom for up to three days, transforming wood into charcoal.
Narrating further, he said once cooled, the charcoal is collected, bagged, and sold in the market.
Pewee said, “A tin of gasoline can be used to produce 75 bags of charcoal,” with each bag selling for about $5.00 USD.
Pewee explains that the business provides the cash and muscle powering his family’s daily needs.
It is how he sustains his seven children and supports their schooling, in addition to running a gasoline business.
“This is what I am doing to sustain my family,” Pewee says, acknowledging both the necessity and the strain on the forest.
“Even though it is not hard, it has a bad impact on the forest,” he said that and “we are doing it for livelihood.”
The Human Face of a Climate Issue
Meanwhile, two of Pewee’s children, Noah Kamara and Sandeo Pewee, speak about their role in the family trade.
”We learned charcoal production because papa showed us how to do it, and we need it to help support the family,” Noah Kamara said. “We also want to find better ways to do business without destroying the forest.”
She said that if we could get support to expand other opportunities, we could keep helping our father to grow the gasoline business and eventually forget about the charcoal business.
Experts say charcoal provides immediate cash, sustains households, enables schooling, and fuels small businesses like Pewee’s gasoline venture.
For many rural families, it’s a reliable income when other options are scarce.
However, deforestation and forest degradation as a result of charcoal production, reduce biodiversity, disrupt water cycles, and worsen land degradation.
Then added Maxin Zaza, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Coordinator in Gbarpolu,”The practice accelerates soil erosion and can lead to long-term declines in agricultural productivity.”
The EPA technician said that charcoal production releases carbon and when forested land is cleared, contributes to higher atmospheric CO2 levels.
He stressed that the loss of forests also undermines natural carbon sinks, exacerbating global warming.
Maxin furthered that Charcoal may be a blunt instrument of livelihood in society today, but with targeted support and sustainable alternatives, families like Pewee’s can secure both present needs and a healthier climate for future generations.
This is why experts and community leaders alike stress the need for urgent support to alternatives that can both preserve livelihoods and protect the climate.
