{"id":6256,"date":"2023-11-15T05:19:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-15T05:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globaldev.blog\/?p=6256"},"modified":"2023-11-16T17:41:08","modified_gmt":"2023-11-16T17:41:08","slug":"electrifying-inequalities-how-the-global-energy-divide-between-north-and-south-threatens-sustainable-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globaldev.blog\/electrifying-inequalities-how-the-global-energy-divide-between-north-and-south-threatens-sustainable-development\/","title":{"rendered":"Electrifying inequalities: how the global energy divide between North and South threatens sustainable development"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
From Nigeria\u2019s recurring blackouts to South Africa\u2019s load shedding issues, unreliable energy supply is holding back the development of Global South countries and regions. This column takes us through the severe socioeconomic effects of poor energy supply on communities and businesses, while highlighting the need for a just energy transition.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The vast differences in energy infrastructure between the Global North and South intensify disparities in wealth and well-being Policy discussions surrounding these differences tend to focus on improving access to energy, expanding national electricity grids, and tackling energy poverty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Energy poverty is a complex and multifaceted concept that goes beyond mere access to electricity or not. Demonstrating this complexity, the renowned scientist Amulya Kumar N Reddy<\/a> defined energy poverty as \u201cthe absence of sufficient choice in accessing adequate, affordable, reliable, high-quality, safe and environmentally benign energy services to support economic and human development\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This blog shows how weak energy infrastructure contributes to energy poverty and hinders the development of countries in the Global South.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sustainable Development Goals 7 and 10: energy for poverty-reduction<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Even the United Nation\u2019s Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) recognises that energy poverty goes beyond a mere lack of access to energy. Instead, it prioritises universal access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Indeed, SDG7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG10 (Reduced Inequalities) are intertwined in their quest for sustainable development. Access to affordable and clean energy (SDG7) helps reduce inequalities by giving crucial resources to vulnerable populations for education, healthcare and economic development. Furthermore, an equitable transition to clean energy, focusing on vulnerable groups, can contribute to SDG10 by reducing economic and well-being gaps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No country has significantly eliminated poverty without significantly expanding its energy usage<\/a>. But despite the critical role of sustainable energy in poverty reduction, more than 800 million people remain without access to electricity. Forty per cent of the world’s population<\/a> still relies on solid fuels for cooking and heating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Poor individuals also pay a significant price for energy, either in cash or in labour. Furthermore, they spend a far larger proportion of their household income on energy than wealthy people. This is not only because their wages are lower, but also because they use inefficient fuels and equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Figure 1: UN Sustainable Development Goal 7 Progress 2023<\/p>\n\n\n\n