SDG 7: Energy for All

During the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development, member states and civil society met to discuss the progress made on implementing the Sustainable Development Goals. SDG 7, ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all, provided member states and civil society with much to debate. Key findings from the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) showed that global access to electricity increased by almost 10 percent, and for the first time since data on the subject has been collected, less than one billion people are without access to electricity.

Highlighting the progress made by his government in expanding energy access, Thailand’s Energy Minister called on countries to invest in their energy infrastructure, stating that Thailand invested 2800 dollars per household for energy distribution purposes. While Thailand has increased access to electricity, it still has much room to grow in terms of renewable energy, as only 13 percent of its national energy output comes from renewable sources. On the other hand, Portugal produced enough renewable energy to power the entire country. Similarly, other developed countries, like Norway, called for international investment in less developed countries and more sustainable energy choices to combat climate change caused by energy related CO2 emissions.

The spread of energy access has not been equal; sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia still have the most progress to make compared to other regions, and indigenous people have been particularly left behind in gains of energy access. During her presentation at HLPF, a representative for the Indigenous People’s Major Group illustrated that the rapid increase in supply of renewable energy has not reached the majority of indigenous people. Moreover, that indigenous land is often stolen or misappropriated for energy production purposes while the people who live on it do not receive the benefits. The inequalities of energy access and distribution disproportionately hurt indigenous people and poverty-stricken women in developing countries, as they are forced to cope with inadequate resources to afford energy access and the theft of or the forced removal from their homes.

In a passionate speech, Steve SJ Lee, representing the Major Group on Children and Youth, decried the influence of polluters like the fossil fuel industry and general neoliberal economic policies. Lee outlined a seven-point proposition to achieve clean energy access for everyone:

1. Increase leadership opportunities for young women and girls
2. Ensure decent jobs and skills training during the transition to clean energy
3. Bring an end to the fossil fuel industry
4. Remove fossil fuels from sovereign wealth funds
5. Make polluters and polluting industries pay
6. Fully Implement the 2016 Paris Climate Accord
7. Empower educators and civil society to educate the public about the harmful effects of nonrenewable energy

As innovation creates new sustainable energy sources, governments must adopt cleaner energy practices to shelter established polluting industries like coal and fossil fuels. Without drastic reductions in the consumption of these dirty energy sources, climate change will continue to occur at an unsustainable rate that endangers all life on the planet. While researchers develop innovations in the creation of new energy sources, it is equally important to advocate for the equitable distribution of these new resources. The motto of the Sustainable Development Agenda is “Nobody Left Behind,” and without access to electricity and other energy sources, poor and underserved communities will be left in the dark.

For more information on the Sustainable Development Agenda, click here.

For more information on SDG 7, click here.