{"id":833,"date":"2019-06-06T10:24:48","date_gmt":"2019-06-06T10:24:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/horizon.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=833"},"modified":"2019-06-06T10:25:42","modified_gmt":"2019-06-06T10:25:42","slug":"why-providing-the-necessary-energy-to-end-poverty-need-not-cost-the-earth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/833\/why-providing-the-necessary-energy-to-end-poverty-need-not-cost-the-earth\/","title":{"rendered":"Why providing the necessary energy to end poverty need not cost the Earth"},"content":{"rendered":"

Providing access to energy \u2013 vital for a decent standard of living and ending poverty \u2013 can be done in a way that is sustainable for people surviving on low incomes and for the planet, researchers have found.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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As people\u2019s living standards rise, their energy use usually does too. But a growing demand for better homes, transport and electricity does not necessarily mean runaway greenhouse gas emissions and worsening climate change.<\/p>\n

Dr Narasimha Rao, assistant professor of energy systems at Yale University in the United States, has found it is possible to increase access to the essentials for what can be termed a \u2018decent life\u2019, without sharp rises in emissions.<\/p>\n

His checklist for a\u00a0decent standard of living<\/a>\u00a0includes a safe and uncrowded home, nutritious meals, clean stoves, access to water and sanitation, basic household appliances, primary education, healthcare and public transit.<\/p>\n

By gathering data on the energy needed for these essentials around the world, he and his colleagues in the\u00a0DecentLivingEnergy<\/a>\u00a0project aimed to identify ways for developing countries to provide the energy needed to eradicate poverty without accelerating climate change. A crucial step was to quantify how much energy is needed to provide decent living standards and to assess their contributions to greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n

The research, which centred on India, Brazil and South Africa, found it is possible to increase access to the basics within the current national levels of energy use. The research found many strategies that could improve lives and reduce emissions, such as more public transit \u2013 preferably using low-emissions vehicles running on electrical power \u2013 and better construction materials in cities.<\/p>\n

The research could help policymakers and governments make more sustainable choices.<\/p>\n

Obligation<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018Government has an obligation to pursue public transport \u2013 it is good for society, for health, as well as for climate,\u2019 Dr Rao said.\u00a0He says using public transport rather than private cars to meet future mobility needs in Indian cities could reduce energy demand by up to 25% and significantly reduce air pollution and emissions.<\/p>\n

Another effective step is to encourage adequate nutrition and not just calories, where he cites India as an example.<\/p>\n

\u2018We\u2019ve learnt that both in vegetarian and non-vegetarian diets there are choices of grains, (and other) foods, that are less resource-intensive and healthier,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n

And a third priority to limit greenhouse gas emissions while improving lives is to design energy-efficient buildings and to use more sustainable materials and construction methods.<\/p>\n

\u2018They save money, they save energy and (still) provide adequate services for people,\u2019 Dr Rao said.<\/p>\n

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‘The biggest energy hogs are mobility and buildings.’<\/p>\n

Dr Narasimha Rao, Yale University, US<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Dr Rao\u2019s research, carried out with colleagues at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Austria, showed that providing the basics to escape poverty is not where the main growth in energy demand comes.<\/p>\n

It surges when people start getting wealthier \u2013 they may be able to afford a bigger home, or want to buy a car or two.<\/p>\n

\u2018The biggest energy hogs are mobility and buildings,\u2019 Dr Rao said. \u2018That\u2019s where there\u2019s a whole lot of affluence as well, in terms of the cars per person, and the big houses that eat up a lot of energy used in an economy.\u2019<\/p>\n

Extending his research to other countries, Dr Rao plans to unpick the energy costs of Europeans living in increasingly affluent societies \u2013 starting with Austria.<\/p>\n

The aim is to identify ways people can avoid increasing their energy demands as they become wealthier.<\/p>\n

But not every European falls into that category. Across the continent, more than\u00a040 million people<\/a>\u00a0cannot afford to keep their homes warm in winter, according to the latest available figures from 2017. This amounts to about\u00a08% of the EU population.<\/p>\n

Poor health<\/strong><\/p>\n

The causes may vary, but the knock-on effects can be seen in poor health says Marina Varvesi, an energy and environmental consultant working towards improving the situation in Europe.<\/p>\n

A combination of low incomes, rising energy costs and energy-inefficient homes contribute to energy poverty. This is where a household has to go without power, heating or cooling, has unpaid utilities bills or has to scrimp on other essentials to be able to pay for energy used in heating, cooling lighting and cooking.<\/p>\n

Varvesi\u2019s Rome-based firm, AISFOR, is coordinating the\u00a0ASSIST<\/a>\u00a0project to train home energy advisers who can offer practical help to vulnerable consumers, including low-income families and elderly or disabled people surviving on little income.<\/p>\n

For an elderly person battling through winter on a low pension in a draughty home with inadequate heating, that could mean advice on a more efficient heater, or about financial support that may be available, or how to avoid the most costly electricity tariffs.<\/p>\n

\u2018They may even be able to help vulnerable consumers just by telling them that they are better off if they keep the heater on very lightly, rather than not at all, because of the consequences for their health,\u2019 Varvesi said.<\/p>\n

The home energy adviser scheme has been piloted in six European countries \u2013 Spain, Italy, Belgium, the UK, Poland and Finland \u2013 with a target to improve the lives of 46,500 vulnerable consumers.<\/p>\n

In addition to practical advice at home, the ASSIST project is drawing up a framework for policymakers and administrators to use in addressing energy poverty, taking into account energy, health, social services and housing.<\/p>\n

That is because inadequate winter heating has a wide impact, Varvesi says.<\/p>\n

\u2018We would be very happy if we increase their (consumers\u2019) comfort at home (through) more efficient systems, so they could reduce their health consequences and thus the health expenses,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n

The research in this article was funded by the EU. If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.<\/em><\/p>\n

This article has been updated to include Dr Rao\u2019s findings on the possible reduction of energy demand reduction if Indian cities\u2019 meet future mobility needs with public transport.<\/em><\/p>\n

Originally published on Horizon<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Providing access to energy \u2013 vital for a decent standard of living and ending poverty \u2013 can be done in a way that is sustainable for people surviving on low incomes and for the planet, researchers have found. As people\u2019s living standards rise, their energy use usually does too. But a growing demand for better … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":298,"featured_media":834,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[40,79,24,28],"class_list":["post-833","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-earth-energy-environment","tag-energy","tag-research","tag-science","tag-technology"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy providing the necessary energy to end poverty need not cost the Earth - Horizon Magazine Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/833\/why-providing-the-necessary-energy-to-end-poverty-need-not-cost-the-earth\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why providing the necessary energy to end poverty need not cost the Earth\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Providing access to energy \u2013 vital for a decent standard of living and ending poverty \u2013 can be done in a way that is sustainable for people surviving on low incomes and for the planet, researchers have found. 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