An estimated 2.8 billion people worldwide live in poverty, of which 85 percent rely on traditional biomass fuels such as crop waste, charcoal and wood as their primary source of energy and more than 50 percent do not have access to electricity. Empirical evidence shows that energy is highly correlated to human development, as can be seen by comparing a country's human development index (HDI) ranking to per capita energy consumption (see graph below). A publication by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Energizing the Millennium Development Goals, sets a foundation to assess the role of energy in economic and human development.
Energy Consumption Per Capita vs. Human Development Index
Source: The Energy Challenge for Achieving the Millennium Development Goals, (UN-Energy, 2005)
Energy Services and Development
Energy consumption is intricately woven into all aspects of human welfare, from access to water, lighting, cooked food, health and education, to agricultural productivity, industrial activities, employment, and transportation. As a result, energy availability heavily influences the lives of poor people and their ability to escape poverty.
The Energy Chain
Source: Adapted from Energizing the Millennium Development Goals (UNDP, 2005)
Gender Issues in Energy
Women and young girls are disproportionately burdened by inadequate access to modern fuels and electricity, since they are often the primary managers of household energy needs in developing countries. Millions of women spend upwards of six hours per day gathering fuel wood, hindering their ability to pursue education or jobs. Furthermore, cooking indoors on poorly ventilated stoves with low-quality fuels is a considerable health risk, leading to 1.6 million deaths annually, of which 60 percent are female.
Energy for Development
Of all the people lacking access to modern energy services in the world, four out of five live in rural areas of developing countries, mainly in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Providing access to clean and efficient energy services will be indispensable to promoting economic development and poverty alleviation in these countries, but significant investment and new policy measures will be needed to induce positive change. According to the International Energy Agency, $200 billion worth of investment in electricity will by needed to reach the Millennium Development Goal of reducing by half the proportion of people living on less than $1 per day by 2015.
RELATED LINKS :
Achieving the Millennium Development Goals: The Role of Energy Services
Energy for the Poor: Underpinning the Millennium Development Goals (pdf)
Global Network on Energy for Sustainable Development
The Energy Challenge for Achieving the Millennium Development Goals (pdf)
United Nations Development Programme: Energy and Environment
UNDP-Millennium Development Goals
Earth Trends
Map: Share of Woodfuels in National Energy Consumption
Energy and Resources Searchable Database
The Power of Choice: Governance and Outcomes in Electricity Sector Reforms
