PublicationConference Proceedings Defeating energy poverty: A call to invest in scalable, solutions to energy access for the poor

Published:
November 2, 2017
Author(s):
  • Kammen, Daniel
  • Overview:
  • Energy poverty, is arguably the most pervasive and crippling threat society faces today. Lack of access impacts several billion people, with immediate health, educational, economic, and social damages. Furthermore, how this problem is addressed will result in the largest accelerant of global pollution, or the largest opportunity to pivot away from fossil-fuels onto the needed clean energy path. In a clear example of the power of systems thinking, energy poverty and climate change together present a dual crisis of energy injustice along gender, ethnic, and socioeconomic grounds, which has been exacerbated if not caused outright by a failure of the wealthy to see how tightly coupled is our collective global fate if addressing climate change fairly and inclusively does not become an immediate, actionable, priority.

  • While debate exists on the optimal path or paths to wean our economy from fossil fuels, there is no question that technically we have today a sufficient knowledge and technological foundation to launch and to even complete the decarbonisation (IPCC, 2011). Critically needed is an equally powerful social narrative to accelerate the clean energy transition. Laudato Si’ provides a compelling formulation of the injustice that is both greed and pollution, but an ongoing outreach and partnership effort is needed to truly leverage its powerful message.

  • In this essay we present examples across scales of the evolving knowledge base needed to build universal clean energy access. This leads to a formulation of an action agenda to defeat energy poverty and energy injustice.
Publication Type:
Conference Proceedings
Abstract:

Overview:

Energy poverty, is arguably the most per­va­sive and crip­pling threat soci­ety faces today. Lack of access impacts sev­eral bil­lion peo­ple, with imme­di­ate health, edu­ca­tional, eco­nomic, and social dam­ages.  Fur­ther­more, how this prob­lem is addressed will result in the largest accel­er­ant of global pol­lu­tion, or the largest oppor­tu­nity to pivot away from fossil-​​fuels onto the needed clean energy path.  In a clear exam­ple of the power of sys­tems think­ing, energy poverty and cli­mate change together present a dual cri­sis of energy injus­tice along gen­der, eth­nic, and socioe­co­nomic grounds, which has been exac­er­bated if not caused out­right by a fail­ure of the wealthy to see how tightly cou­pled is our col­lec­tive global fate if address­ing cli­mate change fairly and inclu­sively does not become an imme­di­ate, action­able, priority.

 

While debate exists on the opti­mal path or paths to wean our econ­omy from fos­sil fuels, there is no ques­tion that tech­ni­cally we have today a suf­fi­cient knowl­edge and tech­no­log­i­cal foun­da­tion to launch and to even com­plete the decar­bon­i­sa­tion (IPCC, 2011). Crit­i­cally needed is an equally pow­er­ful social nar­ra­tive to accel­er­ate the clean energy tran­si­tion.  Laudato Si’ pro­vides a com­pelling for­mu­la­tion of the injus­tice that is both greed and pol­lu­tion, but an ongo­ing out­reach and part­ner­ship effort is needed to truly lever­age its pow­er­ful message.

 

In this essay we present exam­ples across scales of the evolv­ing knowl­edge base needed to build uni­ver­sal clean energy access.  This leads to a for­mu­la­tion of an action agenda to defeat energy poverty and energy injustice.

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