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| Photo Credit: Getty Images |
Concern about climate change has unintended
consequences for the most impoverished countries
By Tisha Schuller, Seth Levey
The goal of alleviating global poverty is not
controversial. Poverty creates terrible human suffering and wasted human
potential, and it’s urgent that we find solutions. Some solutions are obvious
and widely popular, such as vaccines, free primary schooling and better
nutrition. But we have also come to understand that energy is among the most
important anti-poverty tools, an underpinning for other development goals. Yet
energy access as a way to fight poverty is often greatly misunderstood.
ENERGY
ACCESS
We came to understand the importance of energy
late, only as part of analyzing the potential for global decarbonization. The
United Nations also came to this understanding in 2015 when it developed its 17
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aimed at “ending poverty, protecting the
planet and ensuring prosperity for all.” Goal number seven: access to energy
for all.
A hint at the challenges involved lies in the
focus of SDG no. 7, or SDG7, on “affordable and clean energy.” This phrase
conjures images of rooftop solar panels, kitchens illuminated with a single
light bulb, and community wind turbines. These are important parts of fighting
poverty, and they represent progress for people who rely on burning wood for
heat and light. However, this basic level of energy access addresses only a
tiny part of the greater challenge. It is the first step, not the destination.
Yet the data indicator used by the U.N. to determine energy access success is
minimum threshold of 50 kilowatt-hours per year. In other words, the goal would
be considered met if a person in India or Senegal used as much energy in a
whole year as an average American uses in just 33 hours. READ MORE
