A POVERTY OF ENERGY

Energy Poverty Remains a Global Challenge for the Future; Lack of access to electricity causes severe health and environmental impacts
Supriya Kumar, February 2, 2012 (Worldwatch Institute)

"…Between 1990 and 2008, close to 2 billion people worldwide gained access to electricity. But the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that more than 1.3 billion people still lack access to electricity, while the United Nations estimates that another 1 billion have unreliable access. The UN General Assembly has designated 2012 as the “International Year of Sustainable Energy for All,” providing an opportunity to raise awareness…

"At least 2.7 billion people, and possibly more than 3 billion, lack access to modern fuels for cooking and heating. They rely instead on…firewood, charcoal, manure, and crop residues…[which] when burned.. cause nearly 2 million premature deaths worldwide…[and contribute] to…forest and woodland degradation, soil erosion…[and] global climate change…[G]overnments, international agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and businesses are working to overcome energy poverty, focusing in particular on the use of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar…"

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"…According to the IEA, some US$1.9 billion was invested worldwide in 2009 in extending access to modern energy services, such as electricity and clean cooking facilities. The agency projects that between 2010 and 2030, an average of $14 billion will be spent annually, mostly on urban grid connections. But…1 billion people, largely those who live in the most remote areas of developing countries, [will still be] without electricity. Average annual investments will need to rise to $48 billion…

"…[80 percent of all people worldwide lacking electricity access] are in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia…Latin America’s electricity access is generally quite high, at 93.2 percent overall, but Haiti remains a regional outlier, with only 39 percent.. The largest populations that rely on traditional biomass for energy are in the developing regions of Asia, with 836 million in India alone. Altogether, 54 percent of the population of developing Asia relies on traditional biomass fuels..."