Energy Poverty

What is Energy Poverty?

Each night, 789 million people are plunged into complete darkness since they don't have equal access to clean energy. They depend on primitive forms of energy like charcoal and firewood to ignite their way through the night. These forms of energy have a devastating impact on the health and well-being, economic stability, educational outcomes and the environment they live in.

Four Pillars of Energy Poverty

Education

Without safe and reliable lighting children cannot study after dusk

Health

Using solid fuels and kerosene for energy contributes to indoor air pollution which causes 4 million deaths annually

Environment

Fuel based lighting leads to the emissions of roughly 190 million tonnes of CO2 per year

Economic

Millions of people living on less than $1 a day spend up to 40% of their income on kerosene lamps

The Sustainable Development Goals

We’ve aligned our programs with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015. Our agenda intersects with many of the goals, with a particular focus on health, education, energy, climate action and partnerships.