Achieving targets on energy will help meet other SDGs

In 2015, world leaders adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  The 17 SDGs call for action by all countries, poor, rich and middle income to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. With only ten years remaining to achieve these goals, countries are accelerating steps towards ending all forms of poverty, fighting inequalities, tackling climate change and ensuring that no one is left behind.  Every month, the United Nations places one of the 17 SDGs under the spotlight, highlighting its purpose, target, indicators and outlining its criticality in advancing Agenda 2030 for sustainable development. The focus is placed this month on ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all – SDG 7.

Energy is central to nearly every major challenge and opportunity the world faces today. From job creation to economic development, from security concerns to the full empowerment of women, from poverty eradication to food security, health, education, sustainable cities, transport, and adaptation to climate change, energy lies at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agreed to by the world’s leaders in September 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda.

In the words of former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: “Energy is the golden thread that connects economic growth, increased social equity, and an environment that allows the world to thrive."

Focusing on universal access to energy, increased energy efficiency and the increased use of renewable energy is crucial to creating more sustainable and inclusive communities and resilience to environmental issues such as climate change. Globally, 840 million people – 1 out of 7 – do not have access to electricity to light their homes, refrigerate their food, or keep cool in rising temperatures. Around 3 billion people have to rely on dirty biomass fuels such as charcoal, coal and animal waste for cooking and are exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution. In Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, 20 countries have the largest gaps in electricity and clean cooking access. These regions are also represented in the 80 percent of countries worldwide that do not have access to electricity.

Without access to clean, modern energy, it is impossible to achieve SDGs to reduce poverty, broaden education and improve public health. Without a stable electricity supply, countries will not be able to power their economies. A well-established energy system supports all sectors from businesses, medicine and education to agriculture, infrastructure, communications and high-technology.

Without electricity, women and girls have to spend hours fetching water; clinics cannot store vaccines for children; many schoolchildren cannot do homework at night; and people cannot run competitive businesses. The health and the well-being of some 3 billion people are adversely impacted by the lack of clean cooking fuels such as wood, charcoal, dung and coal, which cause indoor air pollution. As an example, replacing outdated stoves and open fires would save the lives of 800,000 children who die each year from exposure to indoor air pollution. That is why SDG7 calls for action to close these energy gaps by 2030.

More specifically, SDG 7 calls for “affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all” by 2030. Its 3 core targets are the foundation for our work, which is, ensuring universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services; increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix and double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency.

Fortunately, progress has been made in the past decade on the use of renewable electricity from water, solar and wind power, and the ratio of energy used per unit of GDP is also declining. However, the challenge is far from being solved. More access to clean fuel and technology is required, and more progress shall be made towards integrating renewable energy into end-use applications in buildings, transport and industry.

While a greater focus shall be placed on regulatory frameworks and innovative business models to transform the world’s energy systems, public and private investments in energy shall be increased. Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) research shows that investment for better electricity access falls far short of the spending needed to deliver universal access by 2030. For example, an estimated $45 billion of annual investment is needed to achieve universal electricity access. Finance to fund clean cooking solutions in the 20 countries that need them most requires an investment of $4.4 billion annually – it currently averages just $32 million a year. The outlook for renewables is also below par – despite revolutionary advances in renewable energy technologies, finance for off-grid energy solutions amounts to only 1.3% of all funds flowing to electrification. SDG 7 sets out to change these numbers and advocate for more investment in sustainable, renewable energy.

Countries can accelerate the transition to an affordable, reliable and sustainable energy system by investing in renewable energy resources, prioritizing energy efficient practices, and adopting clean energy technologies and infrastructure.

Businesses can maintain and protect ecosystems in order to be able to use and develop hydropower sources of electricity and bioenergy and commit to sourcing 100% of operational electricity needs from renewable sources.

As individuals, we can save electricity by plugging appliances into a power strip and turning them off completely when not in use, including our computers. You can also bike, walk or take public transport to reduce carbon emissions.

In its Energy Masterplan 2034, the Kingdom of Eswatini has identified renewable energy as the driving force of the country’s energy transformation) and sustainable energy as a priority area for support to the development results for the Kingdom. The key challenge facing the country’s energy system is a lack of security of supply. Eswatini imports around 70 % of its power despite being well endowed with conventional and renewable energy resources, including coal, solar, hydro, wind and biomass residues from the sugar and forestry industries. These resources could meet the entire national electricity demand if fully exploited, and the excess energy provide export opportunities to Eswatini’s neighbours.

The overall goal for the Eswatini energy system is therefore to reduce dependency on electricity imports. The country intends to increase renewable power generation technologies to 40 % of all electricity generation by 2020.

Following the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development - or Rio+20 - which took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 20-22 June 2012, Eswatini initiated the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL). Eswatini’s SE4ALL Rapid Assessment and Gap Analysis, together with an Action Plan for 2014 to 2030, were successfully completed in 2014 with support from UNDP.

Eswatini has set the ambitious targets to increase electricity access for households from 80% currently to 85% in 2022 through the rural electrification programme. In this regard, the UN supports the Government in its participation in the Global Environment Facility Clean Rural Electrification for African Countries (GEF CREAC) programme funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF). The programme seeks to develop a distinctive approach and accelerate the deployment of rural electrification utilizing renewable mini-grids.

Technology developers and start-ups must be supported with research and development funding to make new energy technologies a reality. We also need to encourage entrepreneurship and grow small businesses providing innovative energy solutions. Financiers must innovate to provide appropriate finance for projects and enterprises and help build underserved markets.

For universal access to sustainable energy, long-term investment shall be attracted through the value chain. In the United Nations family in Eswatini, we encourage the Government and stakeholders – such as sponsors, banks and investors – to support technology developers and start-ups with research and development funding to make new energy technologies a reality. We also encourage entrepreneurship and the growth of small businesses providing innovative energy solutions. Financiers must innovate to provide appropriate finance for projects and enterprises and help build underserved markets. We encourage the private sector to deliver energy and clean-cooking services; we support ,  innovation that makes the greatest difference to people's lives and, as we enter the last decade of the SDGs, a ‘decade of action and delivery’, we build and strengthen partnerships that ensure that no one misses out on the wider opportunities presented by better access to affordable energy.