THE PROBLEM
Nearly one in five people around the world do not have access to modern energy services. Three billion people, mainly in poor countries, rely on traditional biomass such as wood, coal, charcoal or animal waste for cooking and heating, usually with negative impacts on human health and the natural environment.In industrialized countries the problem is one of waste, not shortage, due to inefficient energy use. The world currently invests more than one trillion dollars per year in energy, much of it going toward fossil-based energy systems. This excessive dependence on fossil fuel based energy contributes significantly to global warming and climate change. Climate change puts us all at risk, but the poor are the first and worst affected and it is a major barrier to poverty alleviation, in particular for women and local communities.
THE SOLUTION
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the Sustainable Energy for All Initiative, (SE4ALL) to mobilize action from all sectors of society in support of three interlinked objectives to be achieved by 2030: providing universal access to modern energy services; doubling the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency; and doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.The UN General Assembly declared 2012 the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All, to promote access to modern affordable energy services in developing countries. As part of the year’s activities, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is calling on governments, businesses and civil society to commit to taking concrete actions that will help achieve sustainable energy for all by 2030. These actions will provide significant benefits for all, including strengthened economic growth, expanded social equity and a cleaner environment.
UNEP is actively engaged in two of the 11 action areas identified by SE4ALL – efficient lighting and vehicle fuel efficiency – by registering commitments to promote efficient lighting in 44 developing countries, and to develop efficiency standards for alternative fuel vehicles. UNEP hosted the Africa roll-out of the International Year of SE4All in February 2012 to examine how to achieve the objectives of SE4ALL, and is linking its sustainable energy activities to the initiative.
UNEP is also contributing, together with the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21), to the development of the renewable energy component of the SE4ALL Baseline Report, which will be published in January 2013. This report will enable the tracking of progress, of unrealised potential and of what remains to be done to attain the three objectives.
THE IMPACTS
Thanks to the strong leadership from the Secretary- General and active support by governments, significant momentum continues to build around the initiative:- More than 50 developing countries are now working with the initiative, with more coming on board
- More than US$50 billion has been mobilized from the private sector and investors
- Tens of billions of dollars have been committed by multi-lateral development banks in Asia, Europe and Latin America
- Hundreds of actions and commitments have been catalyzed in support the three core objectives, with commitments to support energy access providing more than one billion people with access to modern energy during the lifespan of the initiative.
