Addressing the global energy challenge
Energy services are vital to providing safe drinking water and hand-washing facilities, which means that addressing the water challenge is not possible without reliable access to energy. 13% of the population still lack access to electricity, especially in rural areas, while 3 billion people depend on fuels such as wood, coal and animal waste for cooking and heating. Using combustible fuels creates issues such as indoor air pollution, with risks including increased deaths, especially among women and girls.
To combat this, one of the UN SDGs is dedicated to facilitating clean and affordable energy (SDG 7). The goal includes ensuring worldwide access to affordable energy services and transitioning towards clean and renewable energy sources.
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Hospitals suffer from an inadequate energy system, affecting cooling and storage facilities, and increasing the spread of diseases
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Death rates for women and girls are increased by indoor air pollution from using combustible fuels instead of clean energy sources
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Water is used for agricultural production and large amounts of energy are needed to pump, collect and treat water, as well as to transport and distribute the food produced
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Lack of energy limits a country’s ability to develop, for example because households are not connected to the energy grid and the functions of health facilities are limited, leading to the inability to fight off diseases and viruses
Energy is essential to health and socio-economic development
Almost 800 million people still live without access to electricity and many more have very limited access to it.
- UN Sustainable Development Goals
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People and businesses across all industries are highly dependent on access to water, food and energy
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If the global population increases to 9 billion people by 2050, then food production has to increase by 50% to feed each individual.
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More than 70% of water withdrawals are used for agriculture. To conserve water, efficient irrigation techniques have to be implemented.
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Energy production also requires large amounts of water, due to the cooling systems. It is therefore vital that more renewable sources of energy, such as hydro-power and geothermal energy, are supported.
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Water is used for agricultural production and large amounts of energy are needed to pump, collect and treat water, as well as to transport and distribute the food produced
