By Michael Tobias
Between 2.4 and 3.3 billion people in the world do not have access to clean cooking fuels and the technologies required to avoid being exposed to harmful air pollution in their homes while cooking. This exposure contributes directly to illness and death from many non-communicable diseases including cancer, stroke, and heart disease, as well as pneumonia. And the situation is not improving.
Since 2013, a multi-agency initiative led by the World Bank has charted the course needed to achieve universal energy access, improve energy efficiency worldwide, and double the use of renewable energy. Originally presented as the Global Tracking Framework Report, it is now titled The Energy Progress Report and is a collaboration between the world’s five custodian agencies: the World Bank, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the UN Statistics Division (UNSD), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and the International Energy Agency (IEA). Each year progress is reviewed and analyzed against a baseline of 2010. In the 2020 report, the fourth with the Energy Progress title, progress for energy access is reviewed to 2018 and to 2017 for energy efficiency and renewable energy.
These topics are all related to climate change and have resulted in the increased development of net-zero energy buildings worldwide.
Tracking SDG 7 2020 & COVID-19
In keeping with the mission of the five custodian agencies, the 2020 edition of Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report, World Bank, Washington DC, analyses how close (or far) we are globally to attaining universal access to sustainable, affordable, and reliable “modern” energy by 2030.
As mentioned above, primary issues considered are access to electricity and to clean fuels and technologies for cooking, renewable energy, and energy efficiency.
Ultimately, the 2020 report finds that, so far, the efforts to achieve Goal 7 of the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), fall short of the scale required to reach 2030 targets, and the margin of failure is large.
The data utilized to prepare the report was prepared before the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, but the authors highlight how an unforeseen global disaster of this magnitude can impact multiple societies and economies at every possible level. This includes energy progress and the desperately needed transition to reliable and efficient renewable energy, as well as desperately needed progress towards SDG 7.
Recent findings by several researchers in different countries around the world reveal that poor air quality caused by burning fossil fuels, including coal, is associated with deaths related to COVID-19. A respiratory disease that is airborne, the coronavirus poses a particular risk for those with cancer, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, and various cardiovascular conditions.
Researchers warn that the link between higher COVID-19 death rates and air pollution is due to the fact that many of those who are exposed to air pollution (inside or outside the home or working environment) already have health issues.
Apart from improving peoples’ access to clean cooking and heating fuels and improving energy efficiency globally, engineers currently have an important role to play ensuring that ventilation systems are optimized in buildings and air purification is improved to minimize the risks of coronavirus infection.
Household Air Pollution and Sustainable Development Goals for 2030
Household air pollution is directly linked to the lack of clean cooking fuels. About a third of the world’s population is affected and these people are forced to rely on traditional cooking fuels including coal, kerosene, and unprocessed biomass, including wood, much of which comes from forests that are not sustainable.
According to the latest SDG 7 2020 report, even though the percentage of those with access to clean cooking solutions globally increased from 56% in 2010 to 63% in 2018, this number has stayed much the same since then due to ever-increasing population growth. Increases of at least 3% will be needed from now until 2030 if the universal 100% target is to be realized. Between 2010 and 2018, the percentage points expanded by 0.8% per year, and they have slowed steadily ever since, indicating that the SDG clean cooking solution goals are unfortunately not going to be reached.
The countries worst affected are in sub-Saharan Africa, while the most significant improvements have been in Asia.
Rural areas are also harder hit, with 83% of available clean fuels available in urban areas and unprocessed biomass being most common in rural areas. But there are changes that have occurred since 2010 that should be noted, particularly in low- and middle-income countries:
- The use of gas has become more widespread than unprocessed biomass. This includes LPG, biogas, and natural gas.
- Generally, in rural areas unprocessed biomass is the norm, though it has reduced slightly.
- The use of electricity for cooking in urban areas has increased.
- Across the board, the use of gas has increased and the use of unprocessed biomass has decreased, the use of coal and kerosene has reduced, and the use of electricity has increased. The use of charcoal, which is minimal, has remained much the same.
The progress towards clean fuels for cooking is slow and causing considerable concern worldwide. The figures presented in the Tracking SDG 7 2020 report indicate that nearly a third of the global population will continue to be exposed to harmful household air pollution.
Suggested solutions include the innovative deployment of:
- Natural and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)
- Improved biomass stoves for cooking
- Electric and alcohol stoves design to use renewable energy
The Importance of Data
Ambitious strategies combined with targeted political commitment and increased investment worldwide are key to possible solutions. But it is also essential to accumulate more comprehensive data to be able to monitor and assess impacts more reliably.
WHO has a household energy database for 170 countries that is regularly updated. Even though surveys are not conducted regularly, they do show worldwide trends in the use of the fuels mentioned in the bulleted list above. The data also helps to determine the use of clean fuels as well as those that pollute the air. The exact model used is detailed in the report.
The data also plays a vital role in terms of policy recommendations required to overcome shortfalls in all areas of interest.
Ultimately, the conclusions reached and reported on show that while clean cooking is largely overlooked on the international political agenda, there will be dramatic consequences for the health of human beings, particularly women and children, and for the environment.
Note: Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report 2020 is available in its entirety under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 IGO license. (CC BY-NC 3.0 IGO) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/igo/
About the Author
Michael Tobias is the founder and principal of Nearby Engineers and New York Engineers, an Inc 5000 Fastest Growing Company in America. He leads a team of more than 30 mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection engineers from the company headquarters in New York City, and has led numerous projects in New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, and California, as well as Singapore and Malaysia. He specializes in sustainable building technology and is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council.
