MPANDA, Aug. 14 -- BENEZETH Kabunduguru, an expert from the Ministry of Energys Clean Cooking Energy Unit, has urged councillors in Mpanda Municipality to use their positions to encourage residents to abandon polluting cooking fuels and switch to clean cooking energy to protect the environment.

Speaking during a training session for the councillors, Kabunduguru said approximately 469,420 hectares of forest are lost annually due to various human activities, including the demand for firewood and charcoal for cooking.

He said the loss of forests contributes to environmental degradation and intensifies the effects of climate change, including rising temperatures, drought and increasingly unpredictable rainfall patterns.

“Forest loss ...