A journal of political, social, and other important, possibly even somewhat related affairs, including but not limited to: Central European Society, The European Union, HC Kometa Brno, American Politics, Film, and Beer.

08 June 2010

Gobar Gas

Michael Yon is a former Special Forces ass-kicker who was embedded in Iraq and Afghanistan 1000 times or something. So he writes a lot about east Asia. But this article of his isn't (directly) about the war in Afghanistan -- it's about some really interesting (and relatively cheap) rural development techniques from Nepal.

This piece is about "Gobar Gas." It's not the most glamorous form of development aid, but it's extraordinarily practical and offers a lot of bang for the buck. (Of course, it's rare when the international aid flavor-of-the-month is the most cost-effective. Everybody wants expensive retrovirals, but no one wants to dig a well.) Essentially, it's methane-harvesting from poo. (I told you it wasn't all that glamorous.) For places with the proper environment and demand, the technique is a godsend. And as Yon notes, gobar gas is environmentally friendly, disproportionately benefits women and children, and bends the health care cost curve down! A Dutch organization is teaching villagers how to make a profit with it. About the only thing it doesn't do is revoke don't-ask-don't-tell. So it's got a little something for everyone.

And yeah, a comment about the relationship between harvesting poo and furthering the Left's policy agenda would be easy to make.

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