REALITY CHECK: 2.4 BILLION PEOPLE SUFFER FROM ENERGY POVERTY

OneWorld, 22 May 2006
 HYPERLINK "http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/133297/1/1893" \t "linkWin" http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/133297/1/1893

Worldwide 2.4 billion people lack any access to modern energy services and 1.6 billion people lack any electricity at home, according to the United Nations. Because of this, in parts of the developing world simple tasks like preparing a meal or warming a home are fraught with health risks.

Each year, 1.4 million people die from respiratory diseases related to breathing in smoky air caused by burning biomass fuels.

This crisis, known as energy poverty, was the focus of the 14th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development a, a two-week ministerial-level meeting hosted by United Nations Development Project (UNDP), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the governments of Austria, France, the Netherlands and Norway.

"Higher oil prices are making news around the world, but we must also look beyond the headlines to focus on the crisis of energy poverty," said Ad Melkert, Associate Administrator of the UNDP, which houses the largest energy portfolio of the UN agencies. "Universal access to modern energy services is essential to halve poverty by 2015, and we need to underline today that it is both financially and environmentally feasible," he said.

While much of the world focuses on the expense of fueling its cars and jet aircraft, the discussion at the conference offered perspective on the energy crisis in developing nations, a crisis with greater human impact.

For millions of people in the developing world cooking a meal over a smoky three-stone fire in a poorly lit and ventilated kitchen and spending an hour each day collecting firewood is a constant reality.

Changing this reality is both feasible and affordable according to the recent report UNDP report 'Energy Services for the Millennium Development Goals' -- it would cost approximately US$15 to US$20 per person per year to provide access to modern energy services to enable the poor to meet fundamental human needs.

Furthermore, participants at the meeting noted, providing basic cooking, heating and lighting services would not significantly impact climate change -- for example, international estimates suggest that providing cleaner cooking fuels for 2.4 billion people would lead to additional greenhouse-gas emissions of about 3%.

Speaking at the meeting, the Netherlands Minister for Development Cooperation, Agnes van Ardenne-van der Hoeven, stressed that with political will on the part of the world's leaders, providing access to modern energy services to the poor to meet their basic human needs is achievable. The Netherlands has committed to providing 10 million people in developing countries with modern energy before the year 2015, the first country to set such a target.

"But the commitment of the Netherlands alone will not be enough to reach the MDGs, so I would encourage the other major players to follow with similarly clear commitments," she said. "UNDP is a major player in the energy field, especially in the area of capacity building and in assisting developing countries to integrate energy concerns in their MDG-based development strategies," she added.