Relationship between Access to Energy and Poverty. Student No.

0345198

Overview

Many developing countries around the world are facing a steep

mountain to climb because of lack of access to adequate and
efficient energy services. This lack, though not universally felt by
communities presents a major barrier to achieving appropriate and
everlasting solutions to the poverty problem, which usually is
characteristic of poor social, economical and environment activities.
However this lack of energy services is not directly the cause of
poverty but the poor being afforded these service, will break some
barriers that will result in minimisation of the effects of poverty on
these communities hence prospects of enhanced lifestyles like that
of well off people. Energy looked at in this context can be termed a
derived demand.
Another observation to make is that of rural-urban migration. This is
caused by government’s prioritisation of developments being
favoured more on urban centres; lack of access to energy facilities
limits economical opportunities in rural areas forcing household
members in search of jobs to migrate to urban centres. Living
conditions for these migrants is very informal and they also suffer
the same problem of services, they rely on easily available form of
energy in biomass.

What do we therefore mean by energy and poverty?

Poverty is defined as the inability to meet one’s needs. These needs

comprise access to basic services, choices and opportunities, which
amongst others limit the span of energy choices for households.
Poverty is hunger, lack of shelter and varying levels of vulnerability
(UNDP 1999). Energy on the other hand can be described as
potential to do work of some kind, it comes in many forms including
but not limited to; light, heat electricity, health and wealth. Access
to energy is essential for development and poverty alleviation. The
relationship between energy productions, use sustainable

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development has two main features: one is the importance of

adequate energy services for satisfying basic human needs,
improving social welfare and achieving economic development.
Energy simply is a source of prosperity. In the developing countries,
commercial energy provided in the form of grid-based electricity and
fossil fuels is often unavailable for both rural areas and unreliable for
urban settings.

Linkages between Energy and Poverty

Energy and the poor

2 billion people lack modern energy sources

and depend on biomass for their cooking,
lighting and space heating needs
(WEA 2000:44)

People in developing countries without access

to modern fuels actually spend a higher
fraction of their income on energy than those
who have access (World Bank 2000:3)

Provision of energy is directly associated with the three pillars of

sustainable development namely social, economical and
environmental factors, though lack of access does not cause
poverty, the impacts to a great deal of extend correlate with poverty
indicators synonymous with the rural and urban poor in the
developing countries. For clarification, let me break this inter-linkage
into the following divisions:

On Health Considerations

Lack of adequate energy services in this context compels the rural

and urban poor to rely on traditional fuel systems, which are

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hazardous and have negative impacts o households who have no

alternative and cleaner means of energy supplies. Indoor burning of
biomass, which is the main source of energy and to some extend
kerosene cause serious health risk, ventilation is usually very poor
and the effects of smoke have been related to causing some
diseases including acute respiratory infections, tuberculosis, chronic
lung diseases etc, there is also greater vulnerability due to open
fires to cause burns and scalds, pregnant women in particular are in
greater danger of smoke associated complications
(UNDP 1999).

On education and Gender

More time is spent on gathering firewood for heating and cooking

because it is the main and only source of energy for poor
households. Unlike in the Western countries, gathering wood and
cooking in developing countries is still predominantly responsibility
of women. For scholars, it means compromise between cooking and
learning will have to be made and it is possible that when need
arises girls may even be withdrawn from school in preference to
other activities. Rural schools due to poverty have limited and
inadequate modern facilities that compliment learning process. They
lack laboratories, media and communication facilities and some
sporting facilities because effective means of energy would have to
be in place to operate these facilities (DFID 2002).
In both urban and rural areas, women who head households are
faced with further difficulties; in urban areas, lower income rates of
pay mean the little get, ends up being used to purchase energy
supplies and in rural areas, they are faced with multiple tasks and

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responsibilities where other means of energy supplies are less

prioritised due to insufficient funds (UNDP 2002)

On economic Considerations

Poverty ridden people normally spend a high proportion of their time

and efforts acquiring energy services than it is for the well off
people, comparatively, the quality of that energy in the form of
biomass is usually of poor and life threatening quality. Due to
sicknesses caused by this energy, financial transactions are involved
for medical treatment. While parting with the little money they
have, time is also lost for other income generating activities. Lack of
adequate energy restricts potential economic opportunities where
men end up forced to search for jobs somewhere else.

On Environmental Considerations

Poor people have limited choice to energy supplies, relying on

biomass for household needs, this felling of trees reduces carbon
monoxide absorption and there is an increase in scarcity of wood.
Use of non-biomass, such as stalks, husks and other agricultural
residues contribute to loss of agricultural productivity (loss of
manure). All these factors results in increased environmental
degradation (UNDP 2002)

What can be done?

For the poor, the first priority is the satisfaction of basic human
needs such as food, health job, water and sanitation amongst
others. Energy plays an important role in providing for these needs,
hence poverty reduction. The government and other responsible
body therefore have to do something in devising appropriate modes
of supplying energy as interventions for these problems. Different

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interventions are available at policy and other levels, but this study
will briefly look at both operational and policy levels

Renewable Energy Sources

Renewable energy is an efficient and conservative way of

abstracting that can easily be used for rural and urban poor. This
technology can solve the problem of poverty by harnessing energy
from local free flowing resources such as the sun, wind, river
currents sea waves including biomass. Renewable energy offers
many advantages since they use indigenous energy sources and
reliance on energy imports reduced, enabling environments where it
contributes directly to local economy. By introducing this
technology, its adaptability to local conditions brings jobs, capital
and other sources of revenue to the locals. They can be produced in
the most remote and inaccessible areas where electricity companies
do not reach. These systems produce less air pollution and
greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuels do and conserves
environment (G8, 2001)
Renewable energy systems comprise wind turbines, solar energy,
hydropower, photovoltaic and improved biomass system. In
introducing these systems to rural communities, more time is saved
from collecting fuel wood especially by women and girls and can
now be able to concentrate on more productive paid job and
schoolwork.

Appropriate Policies

Institutional structures are important as they can have a significant

impact on the ease with which interventions can be successful.
These may include but not limited to:
(DFID, 1999, G8 2001)

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• Favourable legal, institutional and regulatory climates, e.g.

privatisation designed explicitly to improve access to energy
services by all people.
• Improvement and encouragement for usage of modern energy
services that are clean to improve living and health
conditions in general
• Development of indigenous capacity by training for local
manufacturing initiatives including appropriate energy
systems, women and children must be at forefront, as they
are mostly disadvantaged group.
• Increased adoption of appropriate technology that is easy to
use and maintain within community grasp.
• Encouragement of community involvement and participation
to ensure real energy needs are addressed target the local
people

Case Study

Locally manufactured wind pumps (CD5000) and energy saving

stoves in Sudan are a good example that relates to adequate local
energy supply by adopting renewable means of energy supply (DFID
2002). Over 70% of Sudanese population is said to be living in rural
and isolated areas without energy, where grid electricity services do
not cover. The population is living under extreme poverty in poor
social, economic and environmental impacts partly because of lack
of clean energy services. The people are so poor that they cannot
afford improved alternative means of energy and as is always the
case, women and children are hard hit, as they are responsible for
gathering of wood for household cooking and other energy needs.
There is a serious depletion of wood resources leaving ground bear,
hence serious environmental degradation.
The DFID has assisted in introducing wind pumps and energy saving
stoves as a response to this problem. These systems have been

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advanced and local resources have been harnessed for energy

production. These systems have benefited local communities
especially women in that exposure to smoke and carbon monoxide
have been drastically minimised. There is some form of rural
electrification benefiting the local people and their activities.
Communities have more time to engage in other productive
activities including amongst others income generating. Though
some limitations of adequacy of these renewable energy resources
have been cited, sizable rural energy has been achieved that
requires some improvements and adaptability to local needs.

Conclusion

Poverty eradication and improved living standards of the both urban

and rural poor cannot be achieved sustainably without major
changes in the current system. A new focus is needed for energy
system developments that will impart and benefit efficient use of
energy and increase in alternative means like renewable energy
technology. The challenge is therefore on the policy makers to
engage in a participatory manner the poor to find means ends to
address the negative impacts of current energy systems on poverty
alleviation and humanity in general.

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Reference

UNDP (1999) http://www.research-alliance.net/working/docs/POVERTYALLEVIATION.doc

DFID (1999) Energy for the Rural Poor, Guidance Note, DFID, London

DFID (2002) The implications of Renewable energy for Sudanese

Women, Future Energy Solutions DFID Oxfordshire

G8 (2001) G8 Renewable Energy Task Force, Chairman’s Report

UNDP (2002) Clean Energy for Development and Economic Growth:

Biomass and Other Renewable Energy Options to Meet Energy and

Development Needs in Poor Nations, Policy discussion Paper for the

Environment Sustainable Development Group, Kingdom of Morocco

WEA (World Energy Assessment) (2000) Energy and the Challenge

of Sustainability, World Energy Council

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 Relationship between Access to Energy and Poverty. Student No. 0345198

WEC (World Energy Council) (2003) The Challenge of Rural Energy

Poverty in Developing Countries, WEC Information Centre, London

World Bank (2000) Fuel for Thought, The World Bank.

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