Soot from wood stoves in developing world impacts global warming more than expected

A battery-operated sampling system measures emissions from a traditional wood stove in Honduras. The portable system, developed by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, found these stoves emit more harmful smoke particles and could have a much greater impact on global climate change than previously thought. Perhaps as many as 400 million of these stoves, fueled by wood or crop residue, are used daily for cooking and heating by more than 2 billion people worldwide. Credit: Photo courtesy of Chris Roden