TKS Energy Poverty (SDG7) Module Wrap Up

I completed the TKS Energy Poverty Module, and I wanted to share with all of you a little bit about what this global problem is, and how it’s one of our most pressing problems that need to be solved.

What is Energy Poverty? Energy Poverty is present when someone doesn’t have all the luxuries of electricity that most of the modern world has. Some examples of those fortunate places are North America or Europe. What is SDG7? That acronym stands for Sustainable Development Goal 7, which aims to bring affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all by 2030.

Why is energy so important? Energy is one of the problems that will pave the way for solving other global problems. Energy plays a role in our health, medicine, safety, income, and education.

People without access to the grid are using solid fuels, like cow dung, as fuel for cooking and heating in their homes. Those fuels are toxic and lower the life rate of all those people down to 50 years old. A lot of the world has stopped using solid fuels altogether many years ago.

Energy in medicine and at hospitals helps keep machines like oxygen ventilators working, and cold fridges for keeping medications and vaccines stored running. Without those reliable necessities, more people die because they can’t get the proper care.

Students studying for school that can’t rely on energy study most of the time in the dark, or by very dim candle light. Their grades are impacted by this inconvenience and end up not being able to go to college. With electricity for lighting, kids can study and learn longer, and get more quality education out of it.

Houses in these communities are at risk in the dark and are most vulnerable to burglaries or attacks because they aren’t lit and thieves can’t be spotted easily. These people are always in danger and can’t relax one moment because of this.

When the day is done, then it usually means bedtime for everyone because the grid is unreliable. That also means less time to make money, and less money to have for payments. With lighting, this allows shops to be open at night and also have longer hours. They can make more income and make a better living because they have more opportunities to earn.

These are some of the many problems people in Energy Poverty face and constantly think about, while we take most of these luxuries for granted. There are many initiatives and temporary solutions like non-profits that go to help light up villages, to companies like Easy Solar providing flexible pay-as-you-go payment plans to allow customers to use the energy to make money, and then pay back their loans. Or Sun King, which provides opportunities to residents in villages to work as promoters of these technologies, helping make it more accessible while giving these people a way to make a living.

These are some promising solutions, but we need more attention at this problem at hand to meet our goal. Once we solve Energy Poverty, and everyone has reliable energy, then we will be able to tackle other pressing world problems people face today.

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