Energy Plus services for poor

A new report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), based on case studies in Asia and the Pacific, calls for a set of “energy plus” services.  The report titled ‘Towards an Energy plus Approach for the Poor’ talks about access to modern energy required for heating, cooking and electricity for the people from the lower income group.

According to the report there can be no development without energy, and that poverty cannot be addressed sustainably without paying due attention to energy services. If implemented, it is expected to supplement income and improve health and education particularly for the poor.

The Resident Co-ordinator of UNDP in Bhutan, Claire van der Vaeren, said that despite a lot of efforts in trying to promote development of renewable and sustainable energy, there are still several hundreds of millions of people around the world who do not have access to energy or who have access to energy which ultimately kills them. “For example, the use of wood for cooking their food in poor ventilated kitchen will get lung or eye diseases,” she said.

The report also sets number of policy recommendations for countries such as insertion of renewable and sustainable energy services; and adequately engaging end users and beneficiaries in the development of the programmes and further definition of policy options.

“Other recommendations that I think Bhutan could also benefit from and those are, for example, the linkage between energy sector and other sectors like health and education, and ensuring that the conservation or discussion on policy setting implementation is inclusive of the others sector who benefit from energy services,” said the Resident Co-ordinator.

As per the report, nearly half the world’s population lacks reliable access to modern energy services and depends on wood, charcoal or animal waste for cooking and heating. It says by 2030, household air pollution from biomass use in inefficient stoves is likely to cause more than 1.5 million deaths a year.