Progress in access to basic energy is stalling for the first time in a decade – News

A new report published today by the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO) finds that the world remains on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal No. 7 in energy by 2030.

SDG 7 aims to provide access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy. The goal is to achieve universal access to electricity and clean cooking, double historic levels of efficiency improvements, and significantly increase the share of renewable energy sources in the global energy mix. Achieving this goal will have a profound impact on people’s health and well-being, helping to protect them from environmental and social threats such as air pollution, and expanding access to primary health care and services.

2024 release Tracking Sustainable Development Goal 7: Energy Progress Report Warns that current efforts will not be enough to achieve SDG 7 on time. Some progress has been made on specific elements of the SDG 7 agenda – for example increased use of renewable energy sources in the electricity sector – but insufficient progress to achieve the goals set out in the Sustainable Development Goals.

The latest report confirms that the number of people without access to electricity has increased for the first time in over a decade as the population grew – mainly in sub-Saharan Africa – at a faster rate than the number of new electricity connections, leaving 685 million people without access to electricity . electricity in 2022, 10 million more than in 2021. This is due to a combination of factors, including the global energy crisis, inflation, growing debt problems in many low-income countries and increased geopolitical tensions. However, promising trends in the deployment of decentralized energy solutions, largely based on renewable energy, are helping to accelerate progress, especially in rural areas, where eight in ten people currently live without access.

Meanwhile, 2.1 billion people still live without access to clean fuels and cooking technologies, a number that remained broadly unchanged last year. This has enormous consequences for health, gender equality and the environment, contributing to 3.2 million premature deaths each year. Renewed political momentum in the context of the G7, G20 and new financial commitments made at the Africa Clean Cooking Summit increase the prospects for greater progress later this decade. However, efforts are still insufficient to ensure universal access to electricity and clean cooking by 2030.

Other parts of the SDG 7 agenda have performed better recently. Renewable energy has seen significant growth over the past two years, and energy efficiency improvements are gradually improving after declining during the pandemic, although they are still not enough to meet the Sustainable Development Goal 7 target. New global targets declared by over 130 countries in Consensus The UAE is strengthening SDG 7 by aiming to triple its renewable energy capacity and double its energy efficiency levels. To achieve these goals, concrete action is needed immediately, especially to address the wide disparity in clean energy investment, 80% of which in 2022 will still be concentrated in just 25 countries.

Key findings of the report:

• In 2022, the situation has reversed and the number of people living without electricity has increased for the first time in over a decade. Currently, 685 million people live without access to electricity – 10 million more than in 2021. In 2022, 570 million people in sub-Saharan Africa will live without electricity, representing more than 80% of the world’s population without access. The access deficit in the region has increased compared to 2010 levels.
• The world remains on track to achieve universal access to clean cooking by 2030. As many as 2.1 billion people still use polluting fuels and technologies for cooking, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Traditional biomass use also means households spend up to 40 hours a week collecting firewood and cooking, making it harder for women to work or participate in local decision-making bodies and for children to go to school.
• Household air pollution from the use of polluting fuels and cooking technologies causes 3.2 million premature deaths each year.
• Renewable electricity consumption increased by more than 6% year-on-year in 2021, increasing the share of renewable energy in global electricity consumption to 28.2%.
• Installed renewable energy generation capacity per capita reached a new record in 2022 at 424 watts per capita globally. However, there are significant discrepancies. Developed countries (1,073 watts per capita) have 3.7 times more installed capacity than developing countries (293 watts per capita).
• The rate of improvement in energy intensity in 2021 recorded a slight increase of 0.8% compared to 0.6% a year earlier. However, this remains well below the long-term average. The slow progress in 2021 came against the backdrop of a solid economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw annual growth in energy consumption the highest in 50 years. To achieve Sustainable Development Goal 7.3, average annual improvement by 2030 must now accelerate to over 3.8 percent.
• International public financial flows supporting clean energy in developing countries rebounded to $15.4 billion in 2022, up 25% from 2021. However, this is still about half of the 2016 peak of USD 28.5 billion.
• Under current policies, by 2030, 660 million people will still have no access to electricity and approximately 1.8 billion will have no access to clean cooking technologies and fuels. Progress on energy efficiency indicators is also lagging, at just 2.3%, well below the level needed to achieve SDG 7.

The report will be presented to key decision-makers at a special launch event on July 15 at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development, which oversees progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. The authors call on the international community to refocus efforts on providing the required financial, technological and policy support to address the access deficit and ensure that all countries and communities can benefit from the accelerated deployment of renewable energy and increased energy efficiency.

Fatih Birol, Executive Director, International Energy Agency: “To achieve SDG 7, we will need much more investment in emerging and developing economies to increase access to electricity and clean cooking and fuel technologies. Currently, only a fraction of total energy investment goes to countries where electricity access and clean cooking issues are critical, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to climate and environmental benefits, meeting these challenges will bring a range of social and economic benefits related to gender equality, health, education and employment. Our recent Africa Clean Cooking Summit raised $2.2 billion, providing momentum for further progress.”

Francesco La Camera, Director General, International Renewable Energy Agency: “Year after year, renewables are proving to be a leading player in increasing access to energy and electricity through the continued expansion of renewable capacity. However, distributional disparities remain stark, as reflected in international public financial flows for clean energy. The rebound in flows does indicate a positive signal, but is not yet anywhere near the amount needed to meet Sustainable Development Goal 7. This should serve as a stark reminder that not only are we racing against time to meet the target, but we are also continuing to fail the world’s most undervalued . The international community must clearly demonstrate the urgent need to accelerate investment in renewable energy infrastructure and sustainable technologies, with a particular focus on least developed and developing economies.

Stefan Schweinfest, Director, UN Statistics Division: “SDG 7 has been a guiding star in mobilizing efforts to provide more and more people with clean and affordable energy, while current trends make SDG 7 seem elusive. Access to electricity and clean cooking has improved since 2015, but it now appears that most of the low-hanging fruit has already been picked. Renewable energy deployment is on an upward trend, while other types of renewable energy are lagging behind and improvements in energy efficiency seem to be reaching a bottleneck. Time is running out, and more targeted policies and investments are essential to ensure sustainable energy for all by 2030.“

Guangzhe Chen, Vice President for Infrastructure, World Bank: “Access to electricity is essential for development, and we must work especially hard for the 685 million people who lack this resource – 10 million more than a year ago. There are solutions that will help reverse this negative trend, including: accelerating the deployment of photovoltaic mini-grids and home photovoltaic systems. The World Bank is actively working to support this acceleration, and together with the African Development Bank, we have committed to providing electricity to an additional 300 million people by 2030.”

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization: “Air pollution and energy poverty claim lives, cause suffering and hamper development. “A faster transition to clean energy and cooking technologies is critical to protecting the health of the 2.1 billion people without access, as well as the health of the planet on which all life depends.”