Abstract
In 2014, about 53 million tonnes of wood charcoal were produced worldwide, this number
unsurprisingly keeps increasing especially in African countries like Nigeria, this is due to a lack
of electricity, high inflation, and expensive cleaner cooking utilities. Household applications of
charcoal include; Cooking, Barbeque grilling, Pressing iron, charcoal incense burning, and room
warmer. This paper studies the aforementioned ways of charcoal application that produces
greenhouse gases and energy through anthropogenic emissions/formation of various pollutants
such as heat, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, nitrogen dioxide,
particulate matter, methane, ozone, which affect health and climate at large. By Studying an
overview of the mechanism of emission of these pollutants, this review explained more about health
and environment concerning greenhouse gases emitted during charcoal combustion, as well as
the role of charcoal in the temperature rise, effects of charcoal emitted gases on climate such as
Global warming, effects of charcoal emitted gases on health such cancer, seizure, and stroke,
effects of charcoal emitted gases on nutrition and coral reef survival. Element such as high
temperature, elevated Co2, and precipitation greatly impact plant growth and nutrient. There is a
particularly critical need for action and awareness in sub-Saharan Africa, where population
growth has outpaced access to clean cooking.