Reducing Emissions and Air Pollution from Informal Brick Kilns: Evidence from Bangladesh
Bangladesh. Photo by Matyas Rehak via Unsplash.In many low- and middle-income countries, it is commonly believed that weak state and regulatory capacities limit the ability to reduce pollution and mitigate climate impact. In Bangladesh and across South Asia, most brick manufacturing takes place in informal, traditional coal-fired kilns. These kilns are among the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, leading to an enormous public health burden.In Bangladesh, efforts to improve the brick kiln industry over the past 30 years have had limited success. Improving energy efficiency presents an alternative strategy to reduce emissions and pollution while also delivering productivity gains.In a new journal article in Science, Nina Brooks and coauthors developed a low-cost intervention to improve the energy efficiency of zigzag kilns and conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the intervention among 276 kilns in Bangladesh.Among compliers, the intervention led to substantial reductions in the amount of energy used to fire bricks (23 percent) and corresponding reductions in carbon dioxide (20 percent) and particulate matter with a diameter of <2.5 µm (20 percent). These gains were achieved without any evidence of a rebound in energy demand. Kiln owners also benefited financially from the intervention; production of the highest quality category of bricks increased in intervention kilns and spending on fuel per brick declined.The study demonstrates that meaningful reductions in emissions by traditional kilns are achievable, even in the absence of stronger regulations, if they can be made financially attractive to private kiln owners.Read the Journal Article
