Global Courant
Up to 2.3 billion people around the world still use polluting fuels for cooking and 675 million people lack electricity, according to a report released Tuesday by five international organizations.
The report said that at current rates, 660 million people are expected to be without electricity and 1.9 billion people will be without clean cooking facilities by 2030. reliable, sustainable and modern energy for everyone.”
The report from the International Energy Agency, the International Renewable Energy Agency, the UN Department of Statistics, the World Bank and the World Health Organization said that the halfway point of the world is not on track to meet the energy target, which will negatively affect the energy target . health of millions and accelerating climate change.
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“The energy crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to have a major impact on people around the world,” Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, said in a statement. “High energy prices have hit the most vulnerable hard, especially those in emerging economies.”
Antonius Makambombu, an employee of Sumba Sustainable Solutions, performs maintenance work on a solar panel in Laindeha, Indonesia on March 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
He said that while the transition to clean energy is moving faster than people think, much work is still needed to deliver it to the billions who still have to live without it.
According to the report, global electricity access increased from 84% in 2010 to 91% in 2021, but the rate of growth slowed in 2019-2021, including the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the electrification of rural areas has contributed to progress, there is still a large gap in urban areas, it said.
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More than 80% of those without electricity — 567 million by 2021 — lived in sub-Saharan Africa, similar to the 2010 deficit, it said.
The report also found that up to 2.3 billion people still use polluting fuels and technologies, including fuelwood.
Francesco La Camera, Director General of the International Renewable Energy Agency, said: “Cost-competitive renewable energy has again shown remarkable resilience, but the world’s poorest are still largely unable to take full advantage of it.”
According to WHO estimates in 2019, 3.2 million premature deaths each year were due to air pollution in households from polluting fuels and technologies.
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WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said investing in clear and renewable solutions to achieve universal access to energy “can play a critical role in protecting the health of our most vulnerable populations.”
Guangzhe Chen, the World Bank’s vice president for infrastructure, called for urgent efforts “to ensure that the poorest and hardest-to-reach people are not left behind.”
