As described in my blog entry February 3rd, I am referring, on a weekly basis, to each of the SDGs: facts, targets, and how could companies be engaged. This week is about SDG#7 - Affordable and Clean Energy
This is one of the key SDGs in the sense that energy is at the core of basically every step we take: what and how we eat and cook, our hygiene, how we move around, stay warm, stay cool, anything. Energy production which overall if from being affordable and clean. A lot to be done!
Share a great link “Why it matters” https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Goal-7.pdf
Facts:
13% of the global population still lacks access to modern electricity.
3 billion people rely on wood, coal, charcoal or animal waste for cooking and heating
Energy is the dominant contributor to climate change, accounting for around 60 per cent of total global greenhouse gas emissions.
Indoor air pollution from using combustible fuels for household energy caused 4.3 million deaths in 2012, with women and girls accounting for 6 out of every 10 of these.
The share of renewable energy in final energy consumption has reached 17.5% in 2015.
There are 100 countries with less than 100% access to electricity
Targets: There are 5 targets. Targets and the indicators to track progress can be found here: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/energy
Companies engagement:
Energy companies and regulators are the enablers and critical stakeholders for the targets to be met. We need the right regulation in place, aand the key energy companies all “pushing” in the same direction.
But we, citizens and consumers, have also an important role to play: on one hand, the way we consume and behave on our daily life (“guide for a lazy person” link helps to know how to take action. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/takeaction) but also to “buy only” from those energy companies we witness an real effort being made.